The international journalist, Paul Cane, is sent to Iraq early in 2003 by a US magazine to write about the situation developing in the country. He finds himself again unwittingly caught up in the intrigues of British and American politics and their respective secret services after he agrees to act as unofficial agent to verify the existence of weapons of mass destruction. In the UK, Cane is drawn into mysteries surrounding the deaths of two biochemists, one of whom had been a UN weapons inspector in Iraq, and the theft of a deadly anthrax virus from the Biochemical Warfare Defence Establishment at Porton Down. An MI6 agent disappears while on a mission in Israel investigating the sale of Russian-made atomic bombs thought to be destined for Iraq. The seller, who was close to the Russian President, possesses a secret that could destroy the integrity of the British Prime Minister and the presidents of America and Russia. He escapes to Australia hotly pursued by US and Russian agents. An extreme right-wing group in Washington who want to extend the Iraq War, conspire to replace the US President. A mole in the UK Counter-Terrorist Group reveals Cane's real mission to the Iraqis forcing him to find an escape route from the country. He is helped by unexpected sources. Does Paul Cane discover weapons of mass destruction in Iraq? What happened to the stolen anthrax viruses? What secret does the Russian possess? Why does the group want to replace the US President? Who are the sources helping Cane escape?