It all came down to fate. At stake: $4,000 billion of the world’s trade and 20 percent of the population. The Taiwanese Tiger and the Chinese Dragon are squaring up at last.

The island of Taiwan, long coveted by the Chinese, is separated from China by 100 miles of the Straits of Taiwan. For years, there have been tensions between the two countries, with China wanting unification but many in Taiwan preferring independence. The conflict has reached boiling point, and the USA has sworn to defend the island. Now, billions of lives are threatened in a nuclear exchange between America and its trade partner and foe across the Pacific, China.

It all came down to two people: Commander Nathan Blake and May Hsin. He’s commander of the submarine USS Stonewall Jackson; she’s an officer with the National Security Bureau, Taiwan’s intelligence agency. They must both wrestle with their own demons to prevail. For Nathan, it’s his conflicting rules of engagement, whereas May is undercover in the enemy’s lair but finding warmth in the snake’s coils.

You’ve been called up. You will serve on board the USS Stonewall Jackson and go along with May Hsin into the backstreets of Shanghai. It’s down to you now. Fate is cruel; get used to it.