Plot summary

Nebbish Fielding Mellish works as a product tester for a large corporation in New York. His relationship with Nancy, a social activist, is the first he's had in quite some time. So when Nancy breaks up with him - she knowing something is missing, but not being able to put her finger on what that is - Fielding believes the way to win her back is to get into activism, most specifically to move to the Latin American republic of San Marcos, where the elected president was assassinated and replaced by General Emilio M. Vargas, a military dictator. Nancy first met Fielding in trying to get signatures on a petition for the US to break all ties with the military government. Being an American, Fielding ends up being used as a pawn between Vargas and the revolutionary forces, led by Esposito, that function of pawn which may have fatal consequences for him. The question becomes if he is able to survive whether his actions in San Marcos will produce his desired end goal of getting Nancy back.—Huggo