In New York he is shocked and sickened to encounter a now-alien America increasingly dominated by right-wing extremists, including a new radio celebrity, Walter Ventnor. After a tense encounter with his friend and mentor William Stephenson, he agrees to temporarily pursue a Nazi commercial envoy, Hans Ludwig, and try and stop him from stealing American submarine warfare secrets.
Hawkins follows Ludwig to the elite Saratoga racing meeting, where Ludwig is cultivating top American business leaders. There he meets the scion of an ancient and aristocratic New York family, Daisy van Schenck. After persuading Daisy to throw Ludwig out of the mansion he has rented, Hawkins finds himself increasingly attracted to her, and to the possibility of a different life.
When Hawkins discovers a Nazi plot to rig the presidential election, he is forced to choose between duty and the woman he loves.
Lawrence Dudley has had a variety of careers—a blessing for any author. He was the assistant curator of a museum, worked for a radio telescope observatory, and for several years was the lead reviewer and feature writer for the Saratogian newspaper covering the Saratoga Performing Arts Center and its resident companies, the New York City Ballet and the Philadelphia Orchestra. Dudley has also been a media and advertising consultant and a professional political campaign manager, including races for the New York State Legislature.