This book investigates the motivations and mechanics behind the espionage activities of Christopher Boyce and Andrew Daulton Lee, two young men who sold classified satellite intelligence to the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Robert Lindsey, an investigative journalist, utilizes extensive interviews with the subjects, their families, and law enforcement officials to reconstruct the timeline of their betrayal. The narrative examines the intersection of disillusionment with American foreign policy and the lure of financial gain within the high-stakes environment of aerospace defense contracting.

Experts and readers frequently cite this work as a definitive account of domestic espionage during the 1970s. The prose is noted for its journalistic precision and its ability to maintain narrative tension while adhering to factual reporting standards.