When a crafty old spymaster suspects all is not well in his kingdom, he contacts an old friend. But this is no social call. Gault owes him, and the favor is come due. What starts as a routine job babysitting a minor bureaucrat at a Moscow conference quickly becomes much more, a complex scheme to trade arms for secrets. Saddled with a partner that can barely keep her lies straight, Gault is left to chase the truth across four continents. All the while, a growing cast of shady characters are looking to double-cross each other and steal the prize for themselves. Everything is leading to a bloody standoff in the desert, and they can't all win.