Who is Norman Smith and what happens when a very conservative city accountant suddenly finds his holiday plans in South Africa with his long-suffering wife, Mrs G, made uncomfortably complicated by the fact that he has been 'persuaded' to act on behalf of MI6 whilst overseas, gathering information and delivering a mysterious envelope to contacts within the country?

Written in first person, and taking the form of a report to the Director of MI6, the story takes the unlikely undercover agent Norman Smith through a series of adventures whereby he discovers some uncomfortable truths about the nature of South African society and its politics. He also comes across some unusual characters that seem drawn to him and know more about his mission than he does.