Harry Fielding has had enough. He's had enough of his adopted city, and he's tired of his flat, which smells of gas and longing. Most of all though he's finished with meeting civil servants in motorway cafes at two in the morning, he's finished with MI5. But his plans for a new life are ruined when an old friend reappears, Alfie, the crooked policeman. He's in trouble, and Harry, who wants to leave everything behind, cannot abandon a mate. Besides, Alfie's wife, Ruth, all long fingers and perfect belly, is also anxious to see Harry again.