Approaching his 65th birthday, Prime Minister Frances Urquhart begins to see the end of his career. Not that he has the intention of resigning anytime soon. He does however hope to establish a legacy, one for the history books and one to provide his pension. For the latter, his wife Elizabeth introduces him to Mr. Nures, a Turkish-Cypriot businessman who will contribute handsomely to the Urquhart Trust if the upcoming boundary commission report provides a ruling favorable to Turkish-occupied Cyprus. As for the history books, he's decided to take credit for the upcoming peace deal in Cyprus, much to the consternation of the Foreign Secretary, Tom Makepeace. Still haunted by what happened to Mattie Storin, he is also haunted by events when he was in Cyprus as an army officer in the 1950s. An encounter on the motorway lands him in hospital.

Having sacked his Parliamentary Private Secretary, Urquhart casts about for a replacement. At the suggestion of Geoffrey Booza Pitt he gives serious consideration to backbench MP Claire Carlsen, despite the fact that she is carrying on an affair with Foreign Secretary Tom Makepeace. Claire is clearly playing both sides of the fence to ensure her own place in the hierarchy, regardless of what the future may hold. Urquhart decides the time has come to shake things up and forces Makepeace to resign, something his wife Elizabeth isn't sure is in their best interest. He also continues working on his legacies, dropping a good word in the ear of the British judge on the Cyprus boundary panel. Meanwhile, a young Greek-Cypriot woman, Maria Passolides, seeks Urquhart's assistance in solving the death of two uncles who were killed in Cyprus in the 1950s.

Having resigned as Foreign Secretary, Tom Makepeace launches a blistering attack in the House of Commons directed not only at the government in general but at the Prime Minister in particular. He then moves across the aisle to sit on the opposition benches. For his part, Francis Urquhart takes it all in stride quite sure of his position and his ability to retain the leadership of the party. As chance would have it, Cypriot nationalists attack the British High Commission in Cyprus and kidnap the High Commissioner thus allowing Urquhart to question the wisdom of Makepeace's constant challenges on the Cypriot peace deal. Makepeace for his part takes up the cause of identifying the killer of Maria Passolides' uncles.