Facing a global alien invasion, mankind is anything but united against a common foe. The aquatic aliens, vicious bioengineered killing machines, have pressed the United States on both coasts. In Manhattan, a new bioweapon has done considerable damage to the invaders, but it has also affected the human troops. Worse, the man behind the US's war effort has gone missing and is presumed dead.
In Los Angeles, a new offensive is planned-one that depends on the skills of the ASHUR pilots fighting there, including two fresh out of training. One is a battle-hardened teenager convinced she knows best while the other is a veteran trying to shake the stigma of a horrific decision. In the Carolinas, a new offensive tests a tank commander struggling with the loss of his best friend and gunner. Orbiting Earth, a crippled weapons platform is dying, forcing the surviving crew to take extraordinary gambles in the icy depths of space.
Political players are twisting facts to obtain and hold on to power as battles rage against a relentless alien specter. Is the second year of the war going to be one of more losses, or can the enemy threat be pushed into the eye of the storm?