""God and His Angels bless you, Dirk; you shall hear the trumpet on the other side. Goodbye, old warrior.""

With this blessing Richard Hannay kisses Dirk Huysman, the man who had brought him up in South Africa after his parents died, and who is now dead himself, leaving Hannay with one last commission - to find his old adversary, Desmond Leigh, and to give him a fortune in uncut diamonds after Hannay is assured by Desmond Leigh that he bears no ill-will towards Huysman.

Three months later in England, Hannay finds Desmond Leigh. He is married to a beautiful young woman called Barbara, but is a drunken wastrel.

Leigh has enemies, too, from South Africa, two brothers by the name of Baxter who are owed money by Leigh. The elder brother, Meredith Baxter, declares that he is going to confront Leigh at gunpoint and demand to know where his money is.

Baxter arrives while Hannay is visiting Leigh, and Leigh is murdered by Meredith Baxter. Hannay captures Baxter and hands him over to the poli