Hannay to the rescue once more! This time our hero is summoned from his tranquil life in rural Oxfordshire to save the world from a financial conspiracy which threatens the global economy. Hannay comes to believe that the villain behind all this must be Dominick Medina. But can such a brilliant, charming idol of the nation be using Eastern magic to suborn industrialists, magnates and other such pillars of society as his slaves? Is Medina also capable of holding hostages as insurance against the failure of his dastardly schemes and to guarantee his escape from justice? Infiltrating the organisation, Hannay befriends Medina and starts to investigate. His mission takes him from England to Norway and culminates in Scotland where the protagonists stalk each other in a most thrilling chase and the outcome is death-but who will be the victor?