The Man sends Burke to Ceylon to investigate a ransom note that the U.S. government has received. The note threatened to unleash a deadly new fungus called Blast on the Asian continent unless a pair of convicted spies were released to the extortionist. After the fungus is released on the small island of Perzan in the Indian Ocean, the rice crops become diseased and have to be burned and destroyed after only forty-eight hours. Unless Burke can find a way to stop whoever is behind the plan, the entire world may be faced with a great famine. Burke learns that the person behind the plot is the mad Prince Ransputa, and he poses as a wealthy American in search of rare emeralds in order to get to the prince. Once inside the palace, he discovers that the fungus was unwittingly created by a beautiful scientist, Tashu Anil. She is in love with the prince and is being used by him.