Part 1: October: Chapters 1-4 Summary

Off the coast of Long island, New York, two men on a large yacht have been attempting for two nights to shoot down any American passenger jet they are able. Weather has proved an obstacle, but on the third night, all was perfect and Hassan Mahmoud, using the name Abu Jihad, and a freelance member of Hamas, is ready to make his mark. With the excellent cover that they are moving the boat from the Caribbean to Nova Scotia for a wealthy Frenchman, they have remained unmolested by the U.S. Coast Guard. He has never met the other man prior to this assignment, and they have had little conversation, other than to speak of the stinger with a built-in guidance system that will seek out and destroy a target easily. Mahmoud takes a Boston Whaler, which...