In the midst of negotiations with the United States Secretary of State, the Prime Minister of Canada dies in a canoeing accident. His son Tom McLaughlin (Paul Gross) returns from overseas to deliver the eulogy at his father's state funeral. The attention it receives propels him into politics and he ultimately becomes prime minister.

The investigation into his father's death, however, reveals that it was no accident and raises the possibility of assassination. McLaughlin accepts the U.S. President's plan to develop the Great Recycling and Northern Development Canal to help the United States with its water shortage. Sgt. Leah Collins (Leslie Hope) and Member of Parliament Marc Lavigne (Guy Nadon) slowly piece together evidence of a conspiracy that threatens Canada's existence.