Bond averts an accidental nuclear explosion on the Russian Border, when an over-zealous British General launches a cruise missile into a terrorist arms bazaar.  One of the items to change hands is a GPS encoder.  The Chinese suddenly accuse a British Navy ship of straying into their waters, and an international incident ensues which could potentially lead to war. The proceedings are being comprehensively broadcast by media baron Eliott Carver. 

007 persuades Carver's wife to help gain access to his organization, and with the help of Chinese agent Wai Lin, James Bond plans to prove Carver's use of the stolen GPS unit to mis-interpret the position of the British ship.