In May 1969, SSgt Dick Halberg arrives at his new permanent assignment with the 4473rd, a Top Secret spy squadron, flying specially equipped C-130 aircraft out of Rhein-Main AB, Germany. He thinks this overseas assignment will be the perfect end to his short Air Force career. However, he's recruited by the AFOSI to team up with Sgt Jim Vasco to surveil an airman living in their dormitory who's suspected of using and dispersing drugs. He's watches him during the day, and Jim at night. Unfortunately, he receives temporary duty (TDY) orders to the squadron’s detachment at Athenai AB, Greece a few weeks later, leaving Jim on his own.
While in Greece, he's to surveil A1C Alex Tamburini, who's also suspected of dealing in drugs, but also runs various con games, which keeps him from savoring the company of his friends, or enjoying Glyfada, a fashionable suburb of Athens. What he finds isn't enough for the AFOSI to issue an arrest warrant.
On his second TDY to Athenai, while keeping an eye on Tamburini, Dick accidentally discovers that SSgt Lyle Kessler is selling secrets to the Russians. Thus, he is assigned by his new AFOSI handler, Capt Kelly, to surveil Kessler as well.
On his third TDY, his new “friend,” Lieutenant Milarch, a DIA agent based at Athenai, tells Dick that there’s a Russian mole, Vladislav Rezun, in the detachment, and two GRU employed hit men have been dispatched to take him out. In addition, Capt Kelly reveals that he’s been relieved and the FBI have taken over the Kessler matter; and Dick’s TDY is being cut short. He only has three weeks to find out who Rezun is.
Upon meeting his new handler, FBI Special Agent Alice Preminger, Halberg is at first taken in by her beauty, but they get right down to business to find a way to bring Kessler to justice, and expose Rezun so she can secret him out of Europe before the hit men take him out.