Set in the 1960s, this rivetting novel follows the frenetic odyssey of Roger, a self-styled radical professor attempting to write an expose of government and military endeavors to annihilate dissidents like him. Pursued by agents who would still his pen and accompanied by Penny, his former student and now his long-suffering lover, they head for Europe and northern Africa. Roger nevertheless feels the enemy is close upon his heels. Everywhere he turns, shadows lurk that threaten to destroy him both emotionally and physically.