The dynamic new President of the United States, James J. Halliday, seems determined to single-handedly turn an embittered nation around from economic, political, and social ruin. No one could be prouder than his devoted press secretary Meric Albano.

But is the President accomplishing this monumental task alone? After one of the President's rare public appearances, a derelict is found dead nearby. A derelict who not only looks like the President, but whose blood, retinas, even fingerprints match those of the man in charge. Is the real President, the man Albano swore loyalty to, still in office? Is this part of a plot to topple American democracy? That's what Albano has to find out - if he doesn't, his life, as well as his country, will be destroyed...