Greg and Dorothy Nilsen had wanted to go on an adventurous trip, see some of the more out-of-the-way places. But the cruise they were on was turning out to be a bore. So when the gracious Mr. Tan requests that Greg take a side trip to Singapore to resolve a bureaucratic detail involving a consignment of small arms, Greg is surprisingly receptive. All he has to do is sign some papers, he’s told, and he’ll be paid a handsome fee. And everything does go smoothly, until it comes to getting a check co-signed by the rebel leader…

The idea of acting as front man for a Chinese pirate appeals to Nilsen's sense of humor. But what begins as a simple, if not entirely legal, matter of paper-shuffling ends up with Nilsen in an Indonesian jail. "Tops for its picture os Southeast Asia, in all its color and turmoil."--James M. Cain, The New York Times Book Review.

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