The towering iceberg drifting in the North Atlantic was a floating tomb. Embedded in the great gleaming mound was a ship, sealed so solidly in the ice that not even its mast protruded. The crew of the coast Guard Patrol plane had spotted the blurred outline of the unknown vessel, dropping a red dye marker for identification.

As soon as their aircraft disappeared, two men, camouflaged in white snow-suits, rose from a hiding place on the iceberg and started sending signals on their radio transmitter. Later that week, official investigators Major Dirk Pitt of the Air Force and world-famous oceanographer Dr. Bill Hunnewell found that the red stains had been chipped off the berg. Someone wanted to prevent the discovery of the mystery ship and it macabre secret.

Realizing they had failed, the unknown enemies resorted to brutal violence to prevent the major's helicopter from reaching Iceland. So Dirk Pitt set out on a mission that was to bring him into conflict with conspirators who concealed their aims as well as their identities. It would send him, wounded and on foot, across the lonely tundras of Iceland, and it would take him far beneath the surface of the waters surrounding its shores. He would become involved with a hauntingly beautiful woman, with a few allies and with many enemies.