Blade on the Feather turns the spy story inside-out to reflectupon loyalty, betrayal, and what it means to be English. A stranger,Daniel Young (Tom Conti), arrives at the country house of elderly JasonCavendish (Donald Pleasance), a retired intelligence officer. Through aseries of very catty, mouse-like games, Young gets the supposedlyconservative Cavendish to reveal he has been a Soviet spy for fiftyyears. Cavendish's rationalization resembles that of Adrian Harris inTraitor: "I was born into a class that loves what it owns. And wedon't own quite enough of it anymore, that is why all...of the renownedtraitors working for Nazi Germany or for Stalin's Russia come from myclass....I suppose we were all riddled with disappointment." In theCavendish manse the cheeky butler (Denholm Elliot) is a constant font ofinsults and the rest of the lurking family are in high dudgeon; Young'ssudden and seductive appearance fans the flames of the smolderinghousehold. "I didn't know you smoke," says the unexpectedarrival to his host as he lights up. "I don't, I burn,"responds Cavendish.