In the notes of his deceased father, Herbert Stencil discovers the enigmatic symbol V. He and Benny Profane, the other protagonist of the novel, embark on a quest for it, which evolves into a burlesque, action-packed tour de force. The story takes place in a totalitarian world state that stretches from the former African colony of German South West through Malta, Florence, and Paris to Venezuela, where events from the history and past of three continents are deliberately portrayed as mysterious, dark machinations, as a conspiracy of global proportions.