Jeremy Chapman

Palmer has been United's scout for many generations of young footballers, sending across the water the best Irish talent regardless of background. As six more hopefuls gather at his isolated cottage for a weekend trial, their dreams of following George Best's path from Belfast to Old Trafford are shattered by the violent return of a past graduate.

An IRA informer and his family are given new identities and new lives in Australia but the IRA are still determined to track them down.