Chapter 1 Summary

The book opens on a sandy beach called Kaena Point in Hawaii, where Dirk Pitt is sunbathing. Gazing out at the sea, he sees something shiny, bouncing among the waves. "The smart move, Pitt decided, would be to simply lay there and let the force of the surf bring the unknown object to him; but he pushed sound judgment from his mind, rolled to his feet, and walked slowly into the surf" (pg. 2). Curiosity gets the better of him and he swims out to find the object, which turns out to be a yellow flotsam with an attached canister that says U.S. Navy on it. Returning to shore, he opens the canister to find a hand written manuscriptthat he reads in its entirety. The name Admiral Leigh Hunter is at the end of the manuscript. Dirk heads to Pearl Harbor to see...