Prologue and Chapter 1 Summary and Analysis

Halim is an Iraqi living in Paris who is working on a secret project building a nuclear reactor for Iraq. Every day he notices a blonde at his bus stop that is picked up by a red Ferrari. One day when Halim's bus is late, the woman boards a bus. When the Ferrari appears, Halim tells the driver that the woman is gone and the driver offers him a ride. Halim accepts and the Mossad has made a prize catch.

The end of Operation Sphinx occurs on June 7, 1981, when Israel fighters destroy the Iraqi nuclear complex at Tamuze. Israel had feared the nuclear plant would be used to develop nuclear weapons.

Halim was recruited by the Israelis because they needed a source inside the plant at Sarcelles, France. Both Halim and his wife Samira were intensely investigated...