Not having secured enough votes on the first ballot to retain the party leadership, Francis Urquhart plots to not only keep him in place as Prime Minister but to win the next general election. He is desperate to surpass Margaret Thatcher's length of service as PM and decides that to emulate her is likely the best approach: starting a war in Cyprus, his own little Falklands, as he describes it to his wife. It all goes very badly however and the PM's hold on power begins to slip. Claire Coulsen learns that there is a cost to playing both sides in any contest. In the end, it's left to Elizabeth Urqhart to come up with a solution that will ensure the PM's legacy for all time.

À l’initiative de Francis Urquhart, une information de premier plan est rendue publique, qui pourrait redorer son blason de diplomate. Mais elle risque aussi de faire basculer Chypre dans une sanglante guerre civile. De son côté, Tom Makepeace récupère des informations ultraconfidentielles susceptibles de mettre à terre son adversaire. Pourtant peu enclin à se laisser déstabiliser, Urquhart est surpris par la tournure dramatique que prennent les événements…