A thief. A spy. A mysterious codebook. And a whole lot of trouble.

It's 1940 and World War II is being fought in faraway Europe. Lizard doesn't know much about that. He lives in Singapore's Chinatown, surviving on odd jobs and petty theft.

When Boss Man Beng asks him to steal a teak box from a suite in the glamorous Raffles Hotel, Lizard knows the job is important. But can he know just how dangerous it is?

A sinister man appears in the shadows, and Lizard's best friend, Lili, shows up with unexpected fighting skills and her eye on what's in the box.

And Lizard finds himself on an exciting, action-packed adventure in a world of coded secrets, Japanese invasion plans and undercover spies.