Discusses the Cold War, its origins and the resulting conflicts, including the arms race, the Korean War, the Cuban missile crisis, and the Vietnam War.
In a post-nuclear civilization chaos reigns, with only pockets of order. One such place is Deseret, formed from the vestiges of Utah, Colorado, and Idaho, where hardworking pioneers are making the desert bloom again.
British twins Rich and Jade are once again thrown into danger as they try to help their spy father, John Chance, save the president of the United States from a radical group holding the White House hostage and attempting to steal the nation's nuclear launch codes.
The common theme of nuclear disaster and human vulnerability interweaves the lives of four young people, an Ojibway Indian, an illegal Mexican migrant worker, a rock musician, and a sheep rancher's daughter with the lives of three veterans of past wars.