Angel Sotiriou, a young private detective, is forced to flee New York to escape the Mafia. He returns to Greece, the land of his forebears, hoping to establish himself professionally in Athens. During the first years of the Second World War he finds himself trapped in a city under occupation, with little knowledge of the country beyond its language. He must navigate between an authoritarian state, opportunists willing to exploit him at every turn, and a citizenry made desperate by the Great Famine. When a mysterious and seemingly omnipotent old gentleman appears in his office to engage his services, and endows him with a startling gift,