The secret world is largely unknown to most Americans. It is, in some ways, like the dark side of the moon. Before we got a good look, the dark side was a mystery and a breeding ground for legends: Aliens surely had bases there, or Russians surely had bases there, or both, or worse. When NSA does appear in the news, it is usually described in a negative way: Here be monsters…

Follow a software entrepreneur and career academic as he moves in and out of this highly classified component of the Department of Defense. Peek inside the NSA and an affiliated top secret think tank, the Institute for Defense Analyses/Center for Computing Sciences (CCS). Learn what it feels like to be vetted for a Top Secret security clearance and to work in ultra-secret spaces. Meet the brilliant and sometimes quirky people who use mathematics and statistics as weapons in the fight against ISIL and keep covert watch over potential US enemies.