Winchester discusses the idea of the rise of the Pacific nations while their Atlantic counterparts fall. He moves from Los Angeles to Tokyo to Australia and back to Hawaii and just about everywhere in between. Along the way he discusses the emergence of the Japanese car manufacturers, the boredom that is Singapore, the computer industry of the US, and the relatively untouched beauty of Kauai. Winchester creates an encompassing image of a vast region of the world surrounding its largest body of water rising and positioning itself for a new global position.