The Thirty Nine Steps

Overview

Set in 1914, Richard Hannay, a mining engineer from South Africa, finds his brief visit to Britain turning into a nightmare. One evening, Colonel Scudder bursts into his apartment, revealing a conspiracy involving Prussian sleeper agents plotting to assassinate a foreign minister and ignite World War I. When Scudder is murdered, Hannay becomes the prime suspect. Fleeing to Scotland, he teams up with Alex Mackenzie to unravel the plot and clear his name. However, both the police, led by Chief Supt Lomas, and the shadowy agents, headed by the cunning Appleton, pursue him relentlessly.