Arthur Rowe, on an aimless afternoon stroll through wartime London, drops into a charity bazaar, has his fortune told, guesses the weight of a prize cake, and finds himself groping his way down the obscure and unmarked corridors of the Ministry of Fear. As it happens, Mr. Rowe has for some time been incapable of being frightened, and the Ministry staff has shown bad judgment in admitting him. It is their only diplomatic blunder, and it proves to be fatal.