In a raging sandstorm, two men with their pregnant wives fatefully meet in the desert: Samir Al Fay, a Muslim doctor whose son will be named heir to the Prince of Beirut; and Isaiah Ben Ezra, a grizzled Jewish militant Zionist heading to the Promised Land. The women give birth-Samir’s unconscious wife delivers a stillborn girl, Ben Ezra’s wife dies delivering a healthy boy. Transcending their differences, Ben Ezra gives his son to Samir. Only these two men know the truth of the boy’s origin, and Samir vows to raise him as his true son-naming him Badyr.

Years later, Badyr-now known as "The Pirate"-has become one of the wealthiest and most powerful Arabic entrepreneurs in the Middle East. Educated in the West, Badyr is more western than Arabic-but remains grounded in his perceived heritage and distrustful of Jews. The Pirate is seemingly invincible, and with his looks, charm, and unending supply of money, no woman can resist him. But two women have power over his fate: one a long-lost love, another obsessed with the search for her missing father.

However, it’s not just Badyr’s heart at risk. A web of political intrigue, corruption and terrorism threatens the business empire he worked to build, and he is drawn into a shadowy world of decadence, passion, and betrayal. Soon Badyr must decide whom he can trust, risking his life, family and fortune in that decision-and finds allies in the most unlikely of places, shocked by the reality he discovers.

From the author of The New York Times #1 bestseller The Carpetbaggers comes a compelling tale of decadence, luxury, greed, and international intrigue set against a backdrop of Middle East oil and global terrorism.