The North Korean spy Kim Giyoung seems to have been forgotten by the government - for twenty years now. In these years he built a life for himself in the South Korean capital of Seoul. He is married, has a daughter and a job in the film industry. Heineken, sushi and Quentin Tarantino are part of his life now. Then he receives an unexpected e-mail, summoning him to return to the North Korean capital of Pyongyang. Giyoung is aware that many spies that return are being executed. But by ignoring the call he also puts himself in danger. He is to make the hardest decision of his life while slowly the hours tick away.

Kim Young-ha was born in 1968 in Gangwon-do, South Korea. He studied in the United States at Iowa State University and travelled extensively through Europe. His astonishing 'urban' debut, I have the right to destroy myself, has been succesfully made into a film. Kim Young-ha is being regarded as the greatest young Korean writer of this moment. He has received many literary awards.