After a British agent fleeing across a Communist border is picked up by car, and shot, the Web weaves its way into the hunt for a traitor. A reshuffle of British security is called for and Charlotte accepts the challenge.
Lottie and Hawksworth join members of a dating agency on a trip behind the Iron Curtain to discover how certain candidates are being replaced by Soviet agents.
A Spyder agent is substituted for one of the opposition's to discover how the enemy escape route works. The trail leads to the Viscount Employment Agency run by Kalashnkov - whom adores the British aristocracy.
A message from a myna bird alerts Lottie to the death of an MP, which then leads to Eastern European puppeteers who are the front for a people-smuggling organization.
What is behind the killing of a number of prominent individuals, why did they withdraw their life savings on the day of their deaths, and why have their corpses aged so dramatically? Lottie and Hawksworth investigate.