The President is Missing

President Duncan is the protagonist of the novel; significant portions of the novel are narrated in the first person from his point of view. Duncan embodies many traits associated with an archetypal masculine hero: He is intelligent, brave, resilient, and resourceful. Before being elected president, Duncan studied as a lawyer and also served in the US military, during which time he was captured by enemy forces and tortured. While he is portrayed as a brave, rugged, and no-nonsense individual, Duncan is also an empathetic and caring family man. He misses his beloved wife very much and feels deep love for his daughter. When collaborating with Augie, Duncan also acts as a mentor and surrogate father figure toward the younger man, revealing his ability to combine leadership and authority with care and gentleness.

Duncan is quick-thinking and has an ingenious ability to solve problems; for example, he comes up with the suggestion to “trick” the virus by marking computer files as “inactive,” even though a whole team of cybersecurity experts was not able to generate this solution. He does experience moments of crisis and self-doubt, but he is confident in making difficult decisions and potentially taking the blame for the consequences of those decisions.