Englishman John Russell is a member of the foreign press corps in Berlin and a first-hand witness to the brutal machinations of Hitler and the Nazi party in the build-up to war during the early months of 1939.
When an old acquaintance turns up at his lodging house, Russell's life begins to change. Gradually he is persuaded by a combination of threats, financial need and appeals to his conscience to become a spy -- first for the Soviet Union and then, simultaneously, for the British.
The grim streets, the constant fear and the skin-deep glitter of pre-war Berlin -- with excursions to Prague, Danzig, London and the Baltic seashore -- form a rich backdrop as Russell, a reluctant hero and a saviour for some, treads an ever narrowing line between the Russians, the British and the Gestapo.
When an old acquaintance turns up at his lodging house, Russell's life begins to change. Gradually he is persuaded by a combination of threats, financial need and appeals to his conscience to become a spy -- first for the Soviet Union and then, simultaneously, for the British.
The grim streets, the constant fear and the skin-deep glitter of pre-war Berlin -- with excursions to Prague, Danzig, London and the Baltic seashore -- form a rich backdrop as Russell, a reluctant hero and a saviour for some, treads an ever narrowing line between the Russians, the British and the Gestapo.
