Europe is close to war and spies are everywhere. Richard Hannay, bored and world-weary in London, encounters Scudder, an American stranger who has discovered a plot to assassinate the Greek Premier which could lead the world into war. When Scudder is found dead, Hannay is the obvious suspect. Burdened with this terrible secret he must run. He heads for the moors of Scotland where he must use his wits to grapple his way out of a number of sticky situations and tight corners.