Keith Davis, the British ambassador to Tazbekistan, is tasked with securing a £2billion helicopter contract for the UK. Things begin badly when he accidentally shoots an Ibex, the national animal of Tazbekistan, whilst on a hunting trip with the president. Then affairs are further jeopardized when an arrogant young British human rights activist is arrested by the regime on trumped up charges. This throws Davis into direct conflict with the deputy head of mission, Neil Tilly, who believes Britain should be prioritising human rights over winning arms contracts. Neil, though, has ethical troubles of his own when the Tazbek secret police blackmail him into spying on the British for them. The embassy is hosting a 'Best of British Festival', offering an opportunity for Davis to impress the Tazbeks and persuade them to go with the British helicopters. However, the best the festival can offer is a medieval folk group from Gloucestershire, a demonstration of how to make a pork pie and a one man production of Frankenstein. Nobody, least of all Davis, is feeling too confident. News reaches them that the human rights activist is facing the death penalty and the ambassador and his team are forced to make a tough decision.

Minor royal Prince Mark of Bath has been invited to Tazbekistan in his capacity as trade envoy to help the embassy win lucrative drilling licenses for AngloBrit Oil. With an unshakeable sense of entitlement and utter disregard for the sensitivities of others, Prince Mark soon makes himself unpopular with his exacting demands for luxurious accommodation and high-level service which far outstrip what Ambassador Davis and his wife Jennifer can provide at the embassy residence. The prince's arrival coincides with the escape of one of Tazbekistan's most celebrated and outspoken dissidents, Amil Zarifi, who asks for sanctuary in the embassy. Unable to contact the ambassador, who is tied up managing Prince Mark, deputy head of mission Neil takes the decision to bring Zarifi into the compound - a decision which not only incenses his boss but also infuriates the Tazbeks who demand the British give up the dissident immediately. With hopes of securing the oil licenses hanging by a thread, the embassy must rely on the man least likely to improve relations between Britain and Tazbekistan - Prince Mark of Bath. However, the prince's keynote speech in front of the president at a high-level dinner has a most surprising outcome.

Ambassador Davis and his wife Jennifer are marking the president's Platinum Jubilee with a party at the residence. However, the evening is disrupted by gunfire and explosions on the streets of the capital as the army suppress an anti-government rebellion. Later that night, the ambassador is woken by the arrival of Mr Jackson, a legendary Foreign Office interrogation specialist. He has been sent to 'vet' all embassy staff to ascertain if any of them have been spying. This is bad news for Neil who, blackmailed by the Tazbek secret police, has been passing them classified information. As the rebellion intensifies, the ambassador has to make a difficult decision: should he risk his career attempting to make contact with the rebel leader or stick to his usual cautious attitude of waiting to see how events transpire? Thrown out of his comfort zone by an incisive analysis of his character flaws by Mr Jackson and the pleas of his wife Jennifer to do something to stop people being slaughtered on the streets, Davis is sparked into a courageous but possibly doomed mission into the heart of the Tazbek rebellion.