Our Man in Havana Study Guide

Jim Wormold is a British vacuum salesman in Cuba. His wife has left him and his business is not doing well. The only positive thing in his life is his young daughter, Milly. He wants to give her everything she wants but as his business declines this becomes continually more difficult. When an odd stranger confronts him in the restroom of a bar and recruits him to be a spy for the British Secret Service, Wormold sees an opportunity to provide for his daughter. Wormold is the most unlikely of spies as he knows nothing about intelligence gathering or how to run a covert operation. But he does not let this stop him from writing reports. He proceeds to send in reports to London that he fabricates completely. He then begins to recruit imaginary agents and collect their salaries. As his reports become more exciting, London becomes very interested. (read more)