A baby and her baby-sitter have disappeared, and the only clue is a note reading "A Mr Vandyke telephoned. He left no message." In seeking to identify Vandyke, Temple must unravel the significance of a doll, the murder of a man impersonating a police officer, the safe return of the baby, and several other murders.

Returning from America by ocean liner, the Temples meet wealthy Sam Portland whose UK agent Hubert Greene has received messages about Portland's past from a private detective called Madison. But Portland dies on board, and Temple is left to unravel a case involving international counterfeiters and the clue of a coin on a watch-chain.

Swinging between London and Geneva, Paul Temple and Steve are involved in a case that involves finding the answer to one vital question: is Carl Milbourne, thought to have perished in a car accident, still alive? There are those who are determined to stop the Temples discovering the truth. And Temple's own life is in danger.

The book charts the evolving relationship between cinema and radio during the heyday of the two media and compares and contrasts their development in Britain and America

On a boat trip from the fishing village of Downburgh, Paul and Steve Temple are shot at and later the boatman dies in a cliff-top fall. Back in London, the daughter of the head of M.I.5. has disappeared and it soon transpires there is a connection.