Still recovering from the death of her co-worker and lover, Tara Chace is granted a brief reprieve from London's rain and MI6's bureaucracy. This emotionally charged vacation takes Chace to the slopes of Switzerland for a visit with old friends and family. But being an agent for Her Majesty's Secret Intelligence Service leaves little time for rest. A junior minister with close ties to the Prime Minister appears to be selling state secrets to the Russians, and the Minders are assigned to quietly investigate. Tara is forced to walk a tight rope between the violent dangers inherent in the field of espionage and the discretion inherent in the bureaucracy of the government, all the while assuming the new position of Minder One and field-testing a new agent. Operation: Saltlick takes the Special Section from the safety and comfort of Great Britain to the St. Petersburg underworld.