Wormold is a salesman for the Phastcleaners vacuum cleaner company. A British expatriate, he has operated a shop in Havana, Cuba, for the past 15 years. During that time, Wormold and his wife have raised their daughter, Milly. Wormold’s wife recently left him, and now he must care for Milly on his own. Wormold is presented as average, sympathetic everyman. He is decent, hardworking, and frequently bewildered by the modern world. He misses his wife and would like to marry again, but he fears upsetting Milly’s religious sensibilities by doing so. He also loves Milly and wants to be able to provide the best for her. Unfortunately, his business is doing poorly, and he is hard up for money. This disposes him to accept a position with the British Secret Service, despite having no training or aptitude for spy work.

Wormold is a bland and mild-mannered man who finds himself in a situation he doesn’t know how to handle. Although he doesn’t mean to create any harm, the reports he fabricates get other people in deep trouble, including his best friend Dr. Hasselbacher. As soon as he realizes the trouble he is causing, Wormold strives to make amends. His desperate attempts to right his wrongs are comically pathetic and cause a further chain of events that spiral out of control.