[2][3] After terrorists bomb the Israeli embassy in Rome, agents at Israel's intelligence service —better known as the Office— struggle to determine a precise motive for the attack.

The investigation uncovers a CD filled with highly sensitive information about Gabriel Allon, a legendary hit man for the Office.

No longer safe outside of Israel, Gabriel returns reluctantly to his homeland with Italian girlfriend and fellow Office agent Chiara Zolli.

Dina connects a series of seemingly random terrorist attacks and attributes them to Khaled al-Khalifa, a mysterious descendant of Palestinian warlords.

Dina proposes that, hidden behind a carefully constructed European identity, Khaled has masterminded brutal attacks against Israel, including the recent embassy bombing.

In fact, all of the attacks seem to commemorate the murders of Palestinians, including Khaled's father and organizer of Black September, Sabri al-Khalifa.

Dina suggests that another attack is imminent: she anticipates an act of terror to commemorate the Israeli razing of Beit Sayeed, the hometown of Khaled's Palestinian ancestors.

Gabriel also learns that Tariq al-Hourani worked for Arafat, and the car bomb that killed his son and maimed Leah was also meant to end his own life.

They return safely to Israel, but Khaled and Mimi leak photographs of Gabriel to the press that link him to the bombing at Gare de Lyon.