Navy physician, Susan Cantrell is in love with a hero, Marine pilot Richard Martin. Neither foresees the Second American Civil War that follows the successful conclusion of the Holy Oil War, or its devastating effects on their lives and the lives of most Americans. Cantrell buries herself in her work as a neurosurgeon, but refuses to follow the edicts of the new American dictator. Two hidden intelligences plot the destruction of the human race using man's own propensity for war and the unleashing of a deadly biological weapon. Maybe you can't live forever, but given the right circumstances it might seem that way. The right spare parts and the love of a woman can keep a cyborg running when enemies try to interfere.