[3] Charles Parnell Cassidy, the premier of New South Wales, arrives in London to visit his estranged daughter, Charlotte (also known as "Charlie").
Writer Murray-Smith said that she thought it was more interesting to use the daughter to drive the plot, with the opportunity to examine the "whole notion of blood ties" and inheritance.
In 1988, Five Arrows Films Pty Ltd, an investment vehicle managed by Rothschild Bank Australia,[5] had bought the rights to nine of West's works.
The television critic for The Age in Melbourne called it "exciting ... the drama created by [Charlie's] adventures is powerful and entertaining.
"[6] The Sydney Morning Herald's critic called it "an almost (but not quite) super political thriller", singling out Goodall's "outstanding performance" as Charlie and Murray-Smith's "beautiful screenplay".