Action adventure. Alain Foveaux, a former New Zealand military officer, is contracted to use his knowledge of the Middle East to procure phosphate from Syria for export to New Zealand, in defiance of American sanctions. His odyssey through a country on the brink of civil war reunites him with Valentina Golosapova, a former lover and KGB agent, now operations controller for Russian covert action in Syria. With Russian help, the New Zealander sets up a labyrinth of bank accounts to evade the American blocks on payments to Syria, provoking aggressive initiatives by the local CIA operative. When Syrians, Russians and Americans meet, there are brutal encounters in the field with Alain caught in the crossfire.