Magnus Pym, Britain's premier spy, has vanished -- sending intelligence communities on a frenzied international manhunt. As the search plays out, so does a chain of clandestine operations surfacing in Washington, Vienna, Prague, London, and Berlin. But the most powerful drama of all comes from exploring Pym's background -- his education as a spy, and the spectacular motives and mentors who transformed him into a master of guile and deception.