The main viewpoint character, Roger Jourgensen, is a CIA analyst who writes up a report on the state of both the U.S. and Soviet governments' occult research for incoming President Ronald Reagan. This report attracts the attention of "the Colonel" (implied to be Oliver North), who arranges for Jourgensen's transfer and for him to work on a variant of the Iran–Contra affair: secret dealings between the U.S. and Iran to counter Saddam Hussein's Iraq, frustrate the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan, as well as arrange the freeing of hostages in Lebanon.