Bond is not the only agent out there! Doreen Caxton lived a double life. The daughter of Lord Forthmere was also an undercover agent of the ultra-secret government department known as Sector Three, and was close to blowing the Lao Shen drug cartel wide open. Her sudden disappearance caused a lot of concern. It was feared that she had been exposed and possibly murdered. Sector Three couldn't risk her giving away sensitive information under torture, so the operative, code-named Robert Lane, was sent to attempt a rescue--or to ensure her silence.

Lane picks up the trail in Milan. With the help of Doreen's colleague, Nadia, he finds his way to a nightclub run by Johnny Santoni, a local drug dealer. Lane is taken prisoner and questioned, and narrowly escapes with his life. He receives word that Doreen has been seen in Malta. Hunted by Santoni's thugs, he leaves Milan soon after. In Valletta, attempts are made to convince Lane that Doreen has committed suicide, but he is not deceived.

He finds her a prisoner of her ex-husband and a ruthless mercenary terrorist, both working for Lao Shen, and under orders to transport her to the cartel's headquarters in Southeast Asia for interrogation. After a pursuit to Holland, the success or failure of Lane's mission is decided on the runways of Schipol Airport. Returning to London, he discovers that Santoni has had Nadia killed for her part in drawing attention to his activities. Sector Three warns against any involvement, but Lane returns to Italy, intent on bloody revenge.