On the brink begins in the present day, US Navy Commander Derek “Leopard” Lloyd, a former Navy SEAL, is now the senior medical officer of the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, steaming in the Western Pacific, and he soon finds himself at the center of escalating events as nations maneuver for control of resources in the South China Sea. These events have Lloyd grappling with personal demons from long ago, while at the same time, a beautiful naval flight officer from his past arrives to be the admiral’s new chief of staff.

US Air Force Staff Sergeant Ronald Anglin, a Red Horse carpenter, is about to make the first of two parachute jumps from an MC-130J over the Florida panhandle. By the end of the day, Anglin will be on his way to Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea to help build an airbase for the Philippines, as he learns that his marriage is falling apart.

Chinese Navy Lieutenant Commander Liang Yao, a hotheaded J-15 Flying Shark fighter pilot, is at his uncle’s side and being groomed for a fast-track career. His desire to prove himself and his animosity toward the United States soon has that career go wildly off track with the near sinking of the Vinson, bringing the two world powers to the brink of war.