The year is 1967, and the world of international espionage has reached a level of baroque absurdity that mirrors the films that inspired it. The Cold War is alive and well, but it is no longer a simple duel of superpowers. Instead, it is a five-sided game of high-stakes espionage played by NATO, the Eastern Bloc, and a trio of dangerous private criminal-intelligence syndicates operating with total impunity. The boundaries between government service, freelance adventuring, and organized crime have blurred into a stylish, perpetual casino of deceit.