The Old Men at the Zoo is set in the near future and Simon Carter the newly appointed secretary of London Zoo (not admin type secretary but overseer of the zoo's business activities) is more than a little concerned about aspects of his job. Especially given that the zoo is in major trouble over the death of a giraffe keeper. Meanwhile Britain is on the verge of a major war with the major Arabian oil producers and it looks as though a nuclear attack on London could happen at any time.