In an America broken by a "limited" nuclear war, no one has use for would-be private eye Wally Sands. No one except for Dr. Charles Winfield, an eccentric scientist who believes he was cloned from a prominent biochemist as part of a top-secret project undertaken before the war. Sands sets out to find Winfield's mysterious progenitor, but finds himself on the trail of a killer instead. Now, in far-away, fabled England, Sands must uncover the facts about the case that has brought him to his promised land, and at the same time confront the unsettling truth about his world, his life, and his loyalties.

Walter Sands, the private eye of Dover Beach, returns in this memorable sequel. The president of the United States has arrived in Boston. Her job: convince New England to become part of the new government formed in the aftermath of nuclear war. Walter's job: protect America's President from The Second American Revolution, a shadowy group intent on foiling her plan. Then the president is kidnapped and Walter moves from private eye to prime suspect. But Water refuses to give up hope. With the help of his friends, he must save her to save himself. And, perhaps, he can save America, too.