Rafe, a disillusioned teenager, a second-generation British national of Muslim parents from India who fled the separation of Pakistan, finds himself unappreciated at home and bullied at school. He joins a local mosque and is befriended by a radical imam who persuades him to save up to travel to a madrassa in Pakistan. Rafe appreciates the attention he is given but has concerns over Sharia law, knowing only that there must be a better way than society dominated by the corruption of politicians and bankers in the West. An ex submarine captain finds himself working for naval intelligence on the China desk and by happenstance crosses paths with Rafe. The Captain slowly uncovers the network of piracy and extremism in which Rafe is unaware but has become inextricably linked through his imam, . Greed, corruption and the demand for growth in China has led one company to use piracy as an economic lever in the search for rare earth minerals. The Captain finds himself managing the installation of a production project on oil platform far into the Pacific Ocean which is attacked by pirates. Meanwhile, Rafe finds himself a less than enthusiastic jihadist.