The first world war is over, England is at peace and Richard Hannay has returned to a quiet country life at Fosse Manor with his wife and son, but there are other crimes than war and more dangerous villains than Germans A vast criminal combine, which has been making itself rich on the aftermath of war, has kidnapped a young man, a girl and a small boy All are the children of important national figures all are hostages against the future Hannay reluctantly agrees to help in the search and comes up against the strongest enemy of his career