Ian Moore is the quiet, mild mannered office manager of an architects and civil engineering practice, Aribatics Ltd. When he learns that the managing director is intending to make all the employees redundant without paying them any compensation he goes into action and successfully thwarts the managing director"s plans. This brings the situation to the attention of Aribatics" sole client, a major U.S. construction company, AmerConCorp, who decide to take the practice in-house and merge it with its own small office already established in London. When Ian visits the premises of that small office he is horrified by its dilapidated state and urgently summons two of his senior colleagues to make their own inspection. As a result an urgent call is made to AmerConCorp to inform the senior management that their suggestion is impracticable. Nothing seems to happen until just over two weeks before the staff are due to be made redundant. Ian is startled to receive a summons to a hotel suite...