Waiting for the departure of his charter flight from Rome, New Zealander John Benedict makes a fateful decision which will lead to a struggle against the agents of multinational business and organised (and disorganised) crime. As he travels across Europe, Benedict learns to live on his wits and acquires a new purpose to his life - which maybe shorter than he would like. The story takes place at a time when international computing and software companies are flexing their muscles, and it carries resonances of the author's own experiences as an escaping prisoner of war in Italy.