In the plush Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, law officers from many countries are assembled to discuss the control of drug smuggling. Among them is the intrepid Inspector Henry Tibbett, who is representing Britain and is using the occasion to combine business and a holiday with his wife, Emmy. It is a wonderful opportunity.

That is until Tibbett finds himself unable to account for his whereabouts when an important official is found slumped across his desk, as cold and stiff as the dagger protruding from his back.