After the harrowing experience in Panama, when the locals threatened war if the US didn't return the Canal, and the devastating murder of a friend in Washington, Clare  left behind Kurt's life of intrigue to pursue her PhD, sending Kurt to Oxford for his.   They inadvertently interferred with the plans of a Libyan agent, thrusting the lovers into a web of international terror, pitting them against the aggrieved Libyan, and the IRA.