Bond, a shattered man after the death of his wife at the hands of Ernst Stavro Blofeld, has gone to pieces as an agent, endangering himself and his fellow operatives. M, unwilling to accept the loss of one of his best men, sends 007 to Japan for one last, near-impossible mission. But Japan proves to be Bonds downfall, leading him to a mysterious residence known as the Castle of Death where he encounters an old enemy revitalised. All the omens suggest that this is the end for the British agent and, for once, even Bond himself seems unable to disagree . . .