Francis Urquhart is the perfect politician. Impeccably diplomatic, charming, admired, trusted and respected by all. He has faithfully served his party without question, but events are about to spark his ambition. When the long-standing Prime Minister dies, the hunt is on to find a replacement. Urquhart is a hard-line Conservative and believes in strong leadership. In his eyes, none of the choices measures up. Naturally, he keeps his opinions to himself, but as Party Whip, his support is valuable, and he is courted by all the candidates. He must tread warily, as supporting the loser could cost him his position. Supporting the winner, however, could land him a Cabinet position.

The new Prime Minister, Collingridge, tells Urquhart that he is far too valuable in his current post to be offered a ministerial position. Urquhart is furious but hides his contempt of the man under his usual urbane smile. Collingridge, he believes, will not last long and perhaps something can be arranged to hasten his departure. Meanwhile, it might be a good idea to surreptitiously undermine the leader and start maneuvering in his own favor. And, as luck would have it, an inexperienced young journalist, Mattie Storin, is innocently hanging on his every word. He pretends to be helping her learn about Westminster politics, instead he uses her to leak damaging stories about his rivals. As the Party gathers for its annual conference, the scandals begin to break.

Collingridge is in deep political trouble and he has no alternative but to step down as Prime Minister. Ironically, he still has great faith in Urquhart, whom he feels is the only man he can trust. However, as the scandals and leaked stories have gained momentum, political journalist Mattie Storin begins to suspect that Collingridge has been framed. But who is the culprit? By now, she is too emotionally involved with Urquhart (her loving “Daddy”) to realize how she has been used.