Christine Turner, attractive wife of wealthy unscrupulous business man Paul Turner and daughter of the distinguished maverick Earl Des Poitiers has been kidnapped in the East of England. A ransom demand is left at the Earls mansion for 5 million pounds. It appears to come from a UK branch of Al Qaida. One of Paul Turner's businesses, S & T Security based in Iraq, exacerbate the dangerous situation as they are accused of torturing workers in Bagdad. Then an extremely violent psychopath, local villain, Joe White is implicated in the kidnapping. It looks bleak for Christine Turner who has entered her private hell. Ex SAS and police inspector Frank Spring, now a private investigator, is called in by Paul Turner to find his wife. Cynical tough Frank joins the frenetic race against time to save Christine. His beautiful P.A. Betty Brown assists in this increasingly violent and deadly game. Will Chief Inspector Bill Wyatt get to the kidnappers before Frank? The Earl sells his prize possession to get the ransom demand, a world famous painting of Venice by Raphael. The outcome seems to be heading for disaster as the Earl arranges to meet the kidnappers to hand over the money in exchange for Christine in the wilds of Suffolk at midnight in a wintery landscape."