The author imagines a future in which the financial and economic crisis has led to social and political upheaval. The United States and the European Union, their economies ruined by staggering debt and by the loss of their industrial sector, are in a deep recession. In an effort to preserve medical and welfare benefits, the U.S. and the E.U. turn to Chinese and Islamic sovereign wealth funds to bail them out — with the result that the global economy is now in the hands of China and its allies.

Western public opinion reacts violently to the Chinese takeover — and to the Western leaders who sought it. The ensuing elections give rise to a new political class that decides to back pedal and to nationalise Chinese and Islamic assets.

The response from Chinese and Islamic quarters is immediate: a massive economic war breaks out, and in a few days rules that appeared to be solidly established are swept away.

Against this backdrop, Clara, a French secret agent, confronts Lu Mei, the President of Light of China, the world's richest sovereign wealth fund. The struggle between the two women turns into a bloody battle on a planetary scale.

Will Clara succeed in saving her country's independence? Will China take over Europe? Amidst assassinations, coups d'état and catastrophes, the West tries to survive — but the price is high.

This fast-paced, topical thriller reveals the terrifying methods of the global economic war and its stakes.

Bernard Besson is the Controller General of the French National Police and an expert in economic intelligence. He is the author of numerous works, including the highly acclaimed thrillers Chromosomes, Les Eaux de Hammourabi and L'Imam bleu.