December 1941. Singapore is falling, and two men on opposite sides of the invasion are running out of time. Anglo-Eurasian engineer Artie Leigh is fortifying coastal guns he knows can't hold. Nisei linguist Kenji Sakamoto translates Japanese orders he no longer believes in. When a midnight bombardment traps them beneath Fort Canning's hidden tunnels, survival hinges on an impossible alliance. From blackout streets to a last-chance evacuation boat, Artie and Kenji trade blueprints and code-phrases—discovering a forbidden connection powerful enough to challenge empire, duty, and the brutal tide of war.