Richard Mariner battles across a stormy Antarctic Ocean to find the great French super tanker, Lady Mary, drifting aflame towards the volcanic outcrop of Kerguelen Island. His task is a desperate one: alone, he has just one hundred hours to rescue the vessel before she sets off a catastrophic explosion. But when Richard arrives aboard, he finds only mystery and opposition. Did the senior officers die in unexplained accidents - or were they murdered? Were the fires aboard simple bad luck or complex fraud? Is he facing the plans of desperate businessmen - or the machinations of deadly terrorists? Trapped aboard, Richard must work fast. Within one day he must restore power. Within two he must restore communications. Within three he must prepare the tanker to face a hurricane. And within four he must get Lady Mary towed into Resolution Passage and out of trouble - or she will set off the greatest volcanic eruption since Krakatoa...