Alfie is a killer who takes on a different name or group of names for every city in which he works. He has memory lapses which make it difficult for him to function as he cannot remember who he really is, who pays him to commit the crimes he commits, or why his contracts have to die. He has so many holes in his memory that he has no idea where he was born, what religion he belongs to or whether or not he has living family. The lapses in memory at times are almost more than he can bear, making him despondent and even bringing him to tears from time to time. He prepares for each assignment with due diligence, knowing the layout of each city he goes to and having exit strategies in case of trouble, but has no memory of these preparations either.