When the CIA wants to build a secret air strip in bear country near Ottawa, clandestine meetings, unwanted publicity and a diamond heist complicate matters.
When the CIA wants to build a secret air strip in bear country north of Ottawa, the deal is arranged in a van on the the Rideau Canal during Winterlude, Ottawa’s famous winter festival..
George Gilroy, a successful lobbyist, has won the job of negotiating the deal. George has a family in Ottawa and another on a farm outside the city.
The land the CIA has chosen is in the middle of The Wilds, a thousand acres of bush owned by the Taylor brothers, outfitters and hunters. They have travelled to Ottawa to protest the banning of the Spring bear hunt and visit some strip joints.
Part of the CIA plan is an elaborate ruse to be used in case the deal falls through. It involves the hiring of thieves and a driver for a diamond heist at the conclusion of Winterlude.
Henny, an excon, ex private eye, is hired as the driver. He drives a van all night on the frozen Rideau Canal and unwittingly, as he tries for enough weeks to qualify for unemployment benefits, is caught up in this maelstrom of intrigue.