Adam Kindred, a climatologist, is in London to apply for a university post. After the
interview, he stops for a cup of coffee in a restaurant where he has a casual conversation
with a solitary diner, Dr Philip Wang. After Wang leaves, Adam finds an important-looking
folder he left behind. When Adam attempts to return the file, he discovers the man dying
and foolishly agrees to pull out the knife when the victim asks him to. He hears what he
thinks is the killer and flees the scene.
Though he is innocent, he goes underground, hiding out in a secluded patch of ground near
Chelsea Bridge where he is accosted by a threatening stranger. The police name him as the
murderer of Dr Wang even though all the evidence is circumstantial. Adam finds that not only
are the police looking for him but also an unknown who is trying to kill him. He flees his
sanctuary to live with a young prostitute and her son.
In an attempt to discover why he has been targeted Adam decides to read Dr Wang's file.
In it he finds information about a new antiasthma drug which Wang had been testing. A huge
pharmaceutical conglomerate is to market this antiasthma drug even though final testing has
not been done. Wang's paper is crucial to its success. Adam must decide how to release the
information about its flaws without jeopardizing himself.
This is a suspense-filled tale of what happens to an innocent man caught in circumstances
beyond his control. The manner in which Adam has had to change his personality and his life
is an intriguing one. The investigation into the pharmaceutical industry is a chilling one
with its implications of incomplete and possible inaccurate results.