The hectic life of Jake Hardin as he moves through the realm of Cyberspace is not bound by geography, nor is it limited to the physical presence of adversaries. The NSA just outside of Washington, DC, supports and works closely with myriad other cyber groups in every section of the government seeking to protect U.S. data. This, he learns firsthand when he becomes the head of the special cyber group charged with dealing with espionage. But work is not the only reason for pressure in his life.
Hardin is human. He commits one of the worst workplace practices when he becomes romantically involved with Cathy, one of his employees. As they quickly learned when they got into this field, data is indistinguishable in and of itself. And data, like love, cannot always be controlled. And love as well as data can be used for illegal means when it is shared with the wrong people.
To this end, the fight against their love for each other and their dedication to their work leads to cyber threats among the NSA and one of their customers, the U.S. Navy, and its nuclear program.
Future data concepts that include concepts such as quantum physics, 5G networks, and others ensure that the overall landscape referred to as "cyber" stretches imagination during the love affair of Jake and Cathy.
Being a dual citizen of the U.S. and Russia takes the global business and defense world into the Federal espionage landscape and is inescapable for Cathy. Her actions place the penetration of secure systems and vulnerable systems in danger.
NSA security specialist, Tom Bagley faces the reality of the espionage plot and with his tenacious skills is unable to let go until he and his global partners have solved the case. Rich Collins, an active-duty sailor gets involved when it becomes necessary to plant part of the algorithm onboard nuclear ships. He too is influenced by a woman who is other than he believes.