American Mac McCorkle leads a quiet life in Bonn until one day a man is shot in his bar, 'Mac's Place.' This marks the beginning of a secret mission for him and his partner Mike Padillo, who is occasionally assigned to small agent jobs. McCorkle becomes involved in his friend's investigation and soon has to head to East Berlin, where he risks life and limb in a highly opaque rescue and exchange operation. Awarded the Edgar Allen Poe Award (1967).