The story:
Messages intercepted in Ivory-Lana and Bangalla indicate that the two rulers are planning to invade each others' territories, a mystery that deepens when the Phantom, who is reluctantly approaching President Luaga's palace to accept a medal for saving Bangalla's entire diplomatic corps (see D155 The Embassy Siege), is almost killed on arrival by an unknown assassin.

In a game of high politics, the Phantom seeks to avoid an all-out confrontation between former allies and friends by infiltrating Ivory-Lana and getting to the bottom of a mystery that still has some nasty surprises in store...