Teenager Alex Rider discovers that his uncle was an English spy, and that he died while carrying out a secret mission, not as the result of an accident. Soon Alan Blunt, the head of MI6's covert division, informs Alex that he is now ready for operational work. Forced to investigate the circumstances of his uncle's death, Alex reluctantly takes on the case and, under another name, is sent to the mysterious private boarding school Point Blanc in the Alps.