As a boy, Ludvik Weinschenk fled Nazi Germany to England with a pack of playing cards and three tricks to his name. Twelve years later, in 1950s London, having risen through the ranks of concert parties, night clubs and variety theatres, Ludvik, or Louis Warlock as he is now known, is the most famous magician in Britain. But after his talent for deception attracts the attention of the British secret service, Louis is thrown into the perilous world of espionage and finds himself sent across Europe with a dangerous mission to fulfill. When he comes face to face with a nemesis whose cunning rivals his own, Louis will need to use every trick in the book, or risk the most terrible consequences, both for the country and for himself.