Oliver Hawthorne is a British customs officer who is investigating a London finance company called Single & Single, run by a father and son. When a lawyer connected to the firm is found dead, Oliver's inquiry leads to the family's secrets and dubious dealings across Europe and the former Soviet world. The story moves between Turkey, Georgia, Britain and elsewhere. It is a post-Cold War thriller about organised crime, money and the strained, damaging relations between fathers and sons.