A stream of illicit diamonds is moving from African mines through Britain and into the United States, costing the Treasury money and feeding a criminal network whose leadership remains hidden. Bond takes the identity of courier Peter Franks and enters the pipeline, where Tiffany Case becomes his principal contact with the organisation. The trail carries him from London to New York, Saratoga and Las Vegas.
The investigation reveals the Spangled Mob, a syndicate prepared to use intimidation, torture and murder to protect its trade. Unlike several earlier Bond missions, the case centres on organised crime rather than a Soviet operation, but it still uses the international mobility, financial controls and undercover methods of the post-war intelligence world.
