When Joe Savage visits his declining father, Reggie, a former World War II bomber pilot in a care facility, a moment of seeming lucidity breaks through Reggie's vacant mental state with an emphatic warning for Joe. Unsure of what his father is talking about, and spurred on by energy mogul William Landry's prying and insistence that Reggie and his war colleagues hold valuable knowledge, Joe is determined to find the meaning behind his father's warning.

After searching through Reggie's war memorabilia, Joe uncovers a sealed envelope, yellowed with age. While pondering whether the contents might be the subject of Reggie's warning, Joe learns that the Russians are also interested in his father's secret.

The events that follow include lies, schemes, murder, and terror-and an unlikely personal relationship with a stunningly beautiful woman, all of which revolve around a substance called Red Mercury.