Art history professor Jonathan Hemlock was formerly an assassin working with an international intelligence group. Jonathan is happy to have put his secret life behind him, but he is blackmailed into doing one more hit, which the organization calls a "sanction." The target is one of three men who are going to attempt to climb the Eiger, a challenging mountain range in the Swiss Alps, and the hit is to take place during the trip. Jonathan is an experienced mountain climber, but is unnerved that he has not been told which of the three he is to kill.

Art history professor Jonathan Hemlock was formerly an assassin working with an international intelligence group. Jonathan is happy to have put his secret life behind him, but he is blackmailed into doing one more hit, which the organization calls a "sanction." The target is one of three men who are going to attempt to climb the Eiger, a challenging mountain range in the Swiss Alps, and the hit is to take place during the trip. Jonathan is an experienced mountain climber, but is unnerved that he has not been told which of the three he is to kill.