A pre-title sequence is set in March 2003, showing Saddam Hussein watching the broadcast of U.S. President George W. Bush's ultimatum to leave Ba'athist Iraq within forty-eight hours.

The Islamic Dawa Party rocks Baghdad with a series of terrorist attacks while Saddam is on a hunting trip in Tikrit with his wife Sajida Talfah and eldest son Uday.

After Saddam survives an assassination attempt in the Dawa stronghold of Dujail, Barzan fears for his own life and razes the city in retribution.

Hussein Kamel takes over Barzan's post and becomes the new leader of the Special Republican Guard, a security force charged with protecting Saddam and his rule.

Meanwhile, Saddam declares victory over Iran, even though Iraq has suffered heavy losses and is facing bankruptcy; the Iraqi economy is also being hampered by Kuwait, which is over-producing oil and driving down its price.

Sajida learns that Saddam has married Samira as a second wife, and blames his trusted valet, Kamel Hana Gegeo, for assisting their affair.

Hussein Kamel attempts to rise within the regime's inner circle by sowing mistrust between Saddam and Adnan Khairallah, Sajida's brother.

Saddam's foreign minister, Tariq Aziz, travels to an OPEC meeting in Geneva and reveals that Kuwait has been slant drilling into Iraqi oil fields, demanding that the Kuwaitis cease.

Adnan Khairallah questions Uday's abilities as Iraq's future leader, but is not supported by Hussein Kamel, who continues to gain Saddam's trust.

1990-1991: Saddam meets with April Glaspie, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, and takes her statement of "no opinion" as giving him tacit approval to invade Kuwait.

The brothers discuss Hussein Kamel's plan to cooperate with Ekeus and the CIA, hoping that he will be installed as Iraq's new president after Saddam is overthrown.

During a holiday celebrating Iraq's "victory" over Iran, the Kamel brothers cross the border to Jordan with their wives, Raghad and Rana Hussein.

Once they return to Baghdad, Hussein and Saddam Kamel are humiliated by Uday and Qusay, who force them to divorce their wives and strip them of their Iraqi uniforms and ranks.

As U.S. troops begin manhunts for all the high-ranking regime members, Saddam flees to rural Tikrit and goes underground with his loyal confidants.

However, the owner of Uday and Qusay's safehouse betrays them to the Americans, and a large number of 101st Airborne Division troops surround the building with tanks and APCs.

The website's critical consensus states, "House of Saddam is anchored by a commanding performance from Igal Naor's, but the miniseries offers shallow insight into the fallen tyrant and the history he helped shape.

[2] The Independent newspaper described the drama as "The Sopranos with Scud missiles", adding that it was good entertainment but that it seemed to gloss over early US and British support for Saddam's regime.

It was soap (the feeling of Dallas was heightened by the late-1970s/early-1980s tacky glam: check out Saddam's glass lift), it was reality, it was cheeky and it was terrifying."