In this Kafkaesque fable satirizing autocracy, Viktor X., a low-level government data analyst, is kidnapped by Gray Men in broad daylight. He is to be metamorphosed into a doppelgänger for a brutal dictator to protect against assassination. Viktor must accurately impersonate "the Exalted Father," who boasts a manufactured image of power and manhood, dictates stern religious beliefs, flaunts vast wealth and represses all dissent while pursuing an unpopular war.
Viktor's two mysterious handlers direct him towards becoming a polished actor. His lead captor wears an animated Guy Fawkes mask. "Guy's" beautiful partner reveals the skills of a warrior, pharmacist and magician. Heart-stopping terror and unanticipated debauchery blur Viktor's sense of reality. Viktor knows, however, that the possibility of an untimely death is no fantasy-before and after he receives a shocking revelation.
