The scene is England 50 years after its conquest by the Soviets. The plot is to turn the occupying government upside down.

A handsome and highly sexed young Russian cavalry officer, Alexander Petrovsky, joins the plot and learns to his regret that politics and playmates don't mix.

"Funny, cynical, captivating--Amis makes an implausible situation almost believable, then lets his characters worry their way out." (B-O-T Editorial Review Board)