Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) officer Kyle Ryan, U.S. president
Jack Ryan's youngest son, sets up a covert communications and surveillance network near the Chinese embassy in
Luanda, Angola. He survives an assassination attempt by a hit squad who kills his colleagues, and seeks refuge at the U.S. embassy. The incident leads President Ryan to reposition the
USS Kearsarge amphibious ready group (ARG) near the coast of Luanda, unaware that his son had transferred from the
U.S. Navy to work for the DIA in Angola. An intelligence task force led by
Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) analyst Katie Ryan, Kyle's sister, is also deployed aboard
Kearsarge. Meanwhile, Patriotic Front for Unity (PFU) leader Victor Baptista carries out a coup to oust Angolan president Francisco Luemba. He orders his men to attack the U.S. embassy during a protest, taking Kyle, ambassador Patricia Gonçalves, her executive assistant, and a
DSS officer as hostages and moving them to an undisclosed location. At the same time, General João de Souza of the
Angolan Armed Forces arrests Luemba, vice president Rosine de Carvalho, and the cabinet. Taking over the presidential palace at Luanda, Baptista tries to seek Chinese support for the coup and frame Luemba for conspiring with radical elements in the PFU to attack the embassy. After finding out about his son's disappearance, President Ryan orders the
22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) from the
Kearsarge on an amphibious assault to secure the embassy. Katie joins the Marines at the embassy and works on tracking down Kyle and the hostages, who were last seen at the Bairro Cazenga district where the PFU had safe houses and a network of tunnels. Two teams of
Marine Raiders infiltrate the neighborhood and breach the tunnels, but fail to find the hostages. The local
Chinese intelligence (MSS) station in Luanda withdraws their support for Baptista after learning that Kyle is one of the hostages, just as the PFU terrorists move them to the presidential palace. President Ryan orders the 22nd MEU to surround the palace and orders the Marine Raiders to extract Luemba from prison. Kyle is brought to a video conference between President Ryan, Baptista, and General de Souza. Baptista is killed by a Marine sniper outside the palace as the hostages are rescued. ==Characters==