Secrets pervade Barbara O'Leary's life. Who is her biological father? What caused her beautiful and troubled birth mother's death? Is the terrorist Ahmed her half-brother? How did Barbara consort with her mentor to outmaneuver a corpo-rate rival? Why did she accept the assignment to Chad and that subsequent peri-lous journey followed by the international political intrigue? These personal and professional secrets, buried throughout her life, collide as Barbara pursues person-al fulfillment and her quest for career success as a Navy officer.

Coincidently powerful psychological forces, difficult to keep in check, threaten to nullify her accomplishments. In her personal life, the one her superiors must not learn of, she continually battles her organizationally unacceptable secret urges. Drawn into an ever-widening vortex of secrets that culminates in a secret mission to civil-war-torn Chad, the young officer must prevail over her fears and employ her cunning. In her battle between undercover triumphs and personal transgressions, Barbara must step gingerly to save her career, her reputation, and possibly her life.