It is midwinter in the late 1990's in North Korea. It has been a long drawn out cold season much like the one we are experiencing this year here, but in the land of Inspector O the times are very hard. It is no secret that the people are starving, enjoying bark soup with the pretense of adding fish, sitting down to cups of hot water instead of tea, when there is even fuel to heat the water. There is sporadic electricity, sporadic heat and sporadic food in the stores to go along with the sporadic sunshine.
O watched an old lady and a small girl who is probably her granddaughter walking hand in hand down the street. He wondered which of them would not survive the winter. He hated the question. He hated himself for asking it. His job in the police this winter has taken him to New York and Geneva but he is North Korean to the core and he would rather be there than anywhere.
He started out looking for the reason why a North Korean woman was murdered in Pakistan and the trail became very twisted. He is sure that the sale of weapons is involved in some way. One of the reasons he is supposedly sent to Switzerland is to subtly get the message across in the arms negotiations that food from the Americans would be welcome. It seems that these arms talks are enough to bore any one to death and are more smoke and mirrors than any thing else. 
O remembers his grandfather's words of wisdom. He was told not to be like the bamboo, not to bend. One thing O is adamant about. No matter how poor he is, how hungry he may be, he cannot be bought. He says he is not a whore.
In New York, in Geneva he sees a different way of life, an easier way, but not his way and he declines the invitations from those interested in him. He looks for the reasons why the North Korean woman was killed but he finds out answers to many other unwelcome questions instead.
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