A mysterious plague in the Antarctic. A diamond empire run by an evil genius. A devastating new technology that could kill millions of people.Tasman Sea, 1856. A British clipper ship bound for Australia's penal colony is crushed in a raging typhoon. A few lucky survivors wash up on a deserted island, with two women called Betsy Fletcher and Jess Dorsett among them, and discover an immense supply of diamonds. Seymour Island, Antractica, 2000. Dirk Pitt rescues Maeve Fletcher, a descendant of Betsy's, after an unknown cataclysm kills thousands of marine animals and destroys a cruise ship. Could Maeve's father, who runs a ruthless diamond cartel, be responsible? From a chilling escape at a high-security Canadian mine to a tiny boat adrift on lonely, shark-infested waters, the ingenious Pitt is racing to thwart the danger before an unthinkable disaster claims millions of innocent lives.