Bestselling detective novelist David Steel gets into a tough financial situation and accepts an invitation from an unknown mysterious lady who offers to help with his debts. In return she wants him to help her find a way from an unpleasant situation, but when they meet to finalize the deal her identity remains a mystery to him. When he returns from the meeting he finds out that his home is been broken into and a bleeding man, almost dead, is lying on the floor. Frederick White (1859-1935), mostly known for mysteries, is considered also as one of the pioneers of the spy story.