Disillusioned with life in the South of France, Hurford accepts an assignment for British Intelligence. He is told that, under the cover of a teaching post in Moscow, he will simply be expected to relay information back to Britain from a highly prized source.
Once in Moscow, however, Hurford finds himself involved in a complicated chain of events which culminate in a mental and physical ordeal more harrowing than he could possibly have imagined . . .