The protagonist, who is unnamed, travels to Berlin to arrange the defection of a Soviet scientist named Semitsa, this being brokered by Johnny Vulkan of the Berlin intelligence community. Despite the protagonist's scepticism, the deal seems to have the support of Russian security-chief Colonel Stok and Hallam at the Home Office. The fake documentation for Semitsa needs to be precisely specified. An Israeli intelligence agent named Samantha Steel is involved in the case but it soon becomes apparent that behind the façade of an elaborate mock funeral lies a game of deadly manoeuvres and ruthless tactics.
Legal dispute
The U.K. publication of Funeral in Berlin brought on a lawsuit; at the novel's climax, the protagonist and Hallam meet at a fireworks party where they discuss the hazards of fireworks. U.K. fireworks maker Brock's objected to this text, which mentioned them by name, and were granted an alteration of the novel. The 1972 Penguin edition had some dialogue deleted. The original passage: ' 'I personally have always been against it,' said Hallam. 'Alcohol?' I said. 'Fireworks night,' said Hallam. 'Once a year animals are frightened, children are blinded and burnt. There are terrible accidents, hooligans take advantage of the occasion to throw fireworks into letter boxes and put them in milk bottles. There are cases of them tying them to animals. It's quite a disgusting business. The fire service always suffers casualties, the casualty wards in hospitals are overworked. Who gains?' 'Brock's Fireworks,' I said. 'Yes,' said Hallam, 'and the shops selling them. There is a lot of money changing hands tonight. A lot of us at the Home Office are very much against it, I can tell you, but the interests we are working against are...' Hallam raised flat palms in a gesture of despair. 'They should pay,' said Hallam. 'They should foot the bill for all the damage and accidents and burnt houses that are caused, and if any money is left over after that, it could be paid to the shareholders.' 'But don't they make signal rockets?' I asked, 'Very few, my boy. I've been into the whole business; it is quite degrading that these people make money out of it. Nasty. If the municipal authorities each organised a firework display, that would be another matter...' ' The passage, after being edited, ends after "Fireworks night."
Adaptation
A film version of Funeral in Berlin was made in 1966, starring Michael Caine and directed by Guy Hamilton. In 1973, the TV seriesJason King, used the plot from Funeral in Berlin to smuggle an individual out of East Germany. The book is shown at the end of the episode.
Chess references
Every chapter title is a quotation from the rules of chess.
