Jamie Shannon is a soldier of fortune, a mercenary who will stage a coup or a revolution for the right price. He is hired by British mining interest to scout out Zangora, a small African country with rich mineral deposits but an uncooperative government. Arrested soon after his arrival, Shannon is imprisoned as a spy and badly beaten and tortured. While there he meets one of the country’s leading intellectuals, Dr. Okoye, also imprisoned by current regime. Eventually released, he returns to the US and is subsequently offered to opportunity to return to Zangora and lead a military takeover. He accepts, but definitely has his own agenda to pursue.