The tiny English-speaking Duchy of Grand Fenwick, facing unprecedented economic disaster due to a failing wine market, declares war on the United States (for allowing a counterfeit of their trademark Pinot label) intending to lose and reap the profits of American generosity in the form of aid to their conquered nation. A small party of bowmen, therefore, sets sail for New York City, where absent-minded genius Dr. Kokintz is about to unveil the quadium bomb. And then...

A shorter version of the novel was serialized in The Saturday Evening Post as The Day New York Was Invaded.