When Ben McVeigh moves to Norfolk to escape the greedy tentacles of femme-fatale Sally Peters, he has no idea he will soon be pursued by a splinter group of the Mukhabarat, a Middle-Eastern military intelligence secret service. They are intent on recovering an ancient Arab blade that has fallen into the possession of Ben's neighbour, Jonathan Stone. The two young men become fugitives from the law after the body of an attractive young girl is found behind Ben's cottage. Stefan Robert Thornhill, a police inspector known as "Bostik Bobby", knows he can make the charges stick no matter what, but why does he need to? What connection does the blade have with the Knights Templar? How did it possibly change the course of history? It leads Ben and Jonathan on a desperate battle to prove their innocence, and to a surprising revelation for a young acquaintance.