As Britain hands over Hong Kong, a secret long-term intelligence plan is revealed to the new Prime Minister in London - a plan to counter China's strategy for world domination and its frightening growth in economic and military might; a plan to set free one fifth of the world's population. The instruments on which the plan's success depends are John Dancer, the laconic American CIA agent who has been in China too long, and Project Deadwater, which pushes combined Anglo-American stealth submarine technology to its limits, and demands total dedication from the special forces SBS, SAS and SEAL teams it will put ashore. The most audacious power-broking game in history is about to be played out. Only problem is, no one has yet told the US president . . .