While on business in Munich, best-selling author Max Telligan is reported dead. His secretary, Liz, and his soon-to-be ex-wife, Harriet, are stunned and dismayed. However, nothing could have matched their shock when Max walked in the door very much alive. The murdered man is his Munich business associate who had made a very generous offer for his current book based on his personal journal.

The murder triggers a sequence of events involving the Police, Scotland Yard, the CIA, security services, and other groups all seeking something Max has unwittingly brought back from Munich. Max is now embroiled in a dangerous situation with sinister characters and finds he can't trust anyone, even those closest to him.