Cicely Denfeld, a young London schoolteacher, has disturbing dreams about strangers. In her sleep she experiences the activities of Charles Ryder and Vivian Venables, Americans she does not know. The pair's investigation of a stolen government document leads them to a hazardous world of closely guarded secrets.The story swerves between Cicely, who starts seeing a psychiatrist and struggles to make sense of her perplexing dreams, and the uncertain prospects and ruthless opponents Charles and Vivian contend with in their inquiries. Cicely's psychiatrist, Dr. McClellan, diagnoses her condition as a neurotic anxiety, and analyzes her dreams as a means of uncovering a likely repressed traumatic experience. Clues found in the mysterious document lead Charles and Vivian to an awe-inspiring hidden facility.Cicely, Charles and Vivian follow paths that may eventually bring them together and pose startling ethical questions. Are there valid reasons to conceal vital information from the general public? The humanity of the protagonists is compelling, but their daring search for truth and independence pits them against powerful forces and exceptional intelligences that work against their best plans.