Hugh Legat is a rising star of the British diplomatic service, serving at 10 Downing Street as a private secretary to the prime minister, Neville Chamberlain. Paul von Hartmann is on the staff of the German Foreign Office--and secretly a member of the anti-Hitler resistance. Years before, the two men were friends at Oxford.

Now war is on the horizon and Chamberlain is desperately trying to maintain the peace. When Hugh is given a set of top secret German documents from an anonymous source, it is clear Hartmann is trying to get back in touch. As a result, Hugh is ordered to accompany Chamberlain to Munich. Meanwhile, Hartmann travels on Hitler's overnight train from Berlin. Their meeting in Munich will change the course of the world affairs in ways that reverberate for years to come.

Once again, Robert Harris gives us actual events of historical importance--here are Hitler, Chamberlain, Mussolini, Daladier--at the heart of an electrifying, unputdownable novel.