A charter pilot is waylaid in an alley and told his wife will die if he fails to obey orders. The following day he boards an airplane that is to carry a wheelchair-bound dignitary and his nurse to Taiwan. Also on board are a wealthy businessman and his secretary. But Smith got there first. In fact, posing as the pilot, he managed to search all the passengers. Someone anonymously hired him to prevent trouble on the plane. His first assignment is to find out what his assignment is--what he's supposed to guard against. That question is answered when the pilot heads for Red China. Smith's next assignment, then, is to get the plane to Taiwan. He'd also like to know who his client is.

While visiting Hong Kong, China Smith is hired by a woman to secretly serve as a bodyguard for her husband, a retired British naval officer. A crooked astrologer has warned her that her husband will die within the week and he has begun to receive threatening letters. When Commander Tilson is found dead in his aquarium, Smith is accused of drowning the old man