Introducing James Bond: charming, sophisticated, handsome; chillingly ruthless and very deadly. In his first mission, agent 007 must neutralize a lethal Russian operative known as 'The Cypher' by ruining him at the Baccarat table and forcing his 'retirement'. Lady luck appears to be taken with Bond.
In Venice, Frances Croy is working to leave the previous year behind: another novel published to little success, a scathing review she can't quite manage to forget, and, most of all, the real reason behind her self-imposed exile from London: the incident at the Savoy. Sequestered within an aging palazzo, Frankie finds comfort in the emptiness of Venice in winter, in the absence of others. And then Gilly appears.