Resentful of his enforced retirement after 25 years of unblemished service in the British Army, ex-Lieutenant Colonel Hyde decides to apply his military talents to the subject of crime. After masterminding a daring plan for robbing a bank of £1 million, he contacts seven other discredited but experienced ex-officers--Race, Mycroft, Lexy, Porthill, Stevens, Rupert, and Weaver--and puts his scheme into action. Every phase of the operation, from removing arms and ammunition from an army supply depot to checking and rechecking getaway vehicles, is carried out with strict military precision. When all is ready, the men don gas masks, lay down a smoke screen, and enter the bank. Police radios are jammed, telephone cables disabled, and the robbery is a success. The men then return to Hyde's home to divide the bounty. Suddenly, they are interrupted by a surprise visit from Bunny Warren, a heavy-drinking army colleague of Hyde's. Through his innocent bungling, the police learn of the hideout of the "League of Gentlemen," and their brilliantly executed maneuver comes to naught.
