Internationally acclaimed aviation insider and novelist John J. Nance moves with polished ease and compelling authenticity from the cockpit to the boardroom in a world where the "Big Three" U.S. airlines have achieved national dominance-with high prices and poor service. Challenging them comes a new, visionary airline, one that combines a great name from aviation's recent past with new standards of comfort and elegance. This billion-dollar start-up was engineered by Elizabeth Sterling, a bright young investment banker (and single parent). When she assumes the post of chief financial officer for this upstart carrier, she finds herself masterminding a frantic defense against a sinister campaign by powerful, unknown forces determined to destroy her proud creation.