The accidental death of MP Norman Cole precipitates a hung parliament allowing a core of extreme right-wing politicians to seize power. Telford, a high-ranking but unworldly public servant, is approached by Cole's wife who believes her husband was murdered and asks him to investigate on her behalf. The reward for this, he hopes, will be her love. Despite the bizarre and threatening nature of his investigations, he remains convinced that the 'scribbled note' about the meeting with 'N' holds the key to what he seeks.Meanwhile in an increasingly nightmarish city, in a countryside owing more to the Middle Ages than to the 1940s, or in two distant prison camps, a range of Australians struggle to find their own truths, a way back to love, and a means of survival — be it Roy and Vic, each struggling to validate and empower their painting; be it the artist's model Missy, torn between passion and fidelity; or the writer Henningsen and Head of the Emergency Government Warren Mahony, each battling with their tenuous sanities. Told in a wide range of styles, N is a remarkable work of imagination woven about two unforgettable love stories.