Berlin 1938. The body of an English businessman lies dead in the street. Was it simply a mugging gone wrong, or was he also a spy carrying vital information and assassinated by the German secret police? Inspector Cameron Ross is sent over from London to investigate. He soon becomes caught up in a web of intrigue and deceit and finds himself in mortal danger as Berlin becomes a nightmare of suspicion, reprisal and violence and Germany prepares for war with Britain. Then, Ulrike Walter, a young German woman from a musical family with a strange, beguiling gift, seems to offer Ross refuge. Soon he is falling in love with her but she is engaged to Erich, a member of the Hitler Youth, and his posting to the submarine U-boat arm of the German navy could have terrifying consequences as Ross and Ulrike attempt to flee a Germany in the grip of iron-clad brutality.