Known as Tolstoy because of his Anglo-Russian parentage, Major Leo Bekov had as many enemies among fellow-officers as he had admirers among their wives. Good-looking, charismatic and fluent in several languages, his career had taken him from Sandhurst through the wars in Bosnia and the Gulf, to special duty as an interpreter and liaison officer. He was set for great things, until his body was found tied to a post outside the officers' mess on a British military base in Germany. A newly-arrived military policeman, Max Rydal - a man with a tragic past - takes on the case, with the help of his deputy Tom Black. He soon discovers that rather than closing ranks, many in the camp are only too willing to talk. But perhaps the vital clue can only be provided by Bekov himself.