Grounded, First Lieutenant Ian Archer's punishment for damaging his fighter jet. This single word ruined everything Ian had worked for. Instead of piloting the F-15C Eagle across open skies, he faces a dystopian future underground, on alert in a Minuteman missile silo.
Hiding in plain sight on the high plains of eastern Montana, a clandestine fighter squadron is hungry for new pilots, and they extend a tantalizing offer at the last minute to Archer. Accepting, Ian finds himself thrust into a high-speed world flying the stealthy F-23 Black Widow. Struggling to understand the new squadron and their informal rules, he scrapes through training while harboring doubts about himself. His only solace is the cockpit, the one place where he can level the playing field.
Passing his check ride, Ian is ready for combat as an expanding conflict in the Middle East sucks him in. America's ace up the sleeve, the Black Widows ambush a strike force of Iranian aircraft operating in Iraqi airspace. Seeking retribution for their loss, Iran ratchets up the heat with a sequence of daring attacks, climaxing with a strike against the American carrier in the Gulf. The crowning jewel of their deadly works is the detonation of their first nuclear weapon. Livid, Uncle Sam rolls up his sleeves and unleashes the Black Widows in vengeance. The plan goes awry as the Iranians spring a trap on Ian and his wingmen.
