The serial opens with Prime Minister Francis Urquhart shooting his gun dog, now too old to perform her duties – a scene which establishes the theme of the ending of a career.

Urquhart also has a personal connection to Cyprus: as a nineteen-year-old British Army lieutenant serving there in 1956, he killed two young EOKA guerrillas while trying to get information from them.

The brother of the murdered Greek Cypriot guerrillas, who witnessed their deaths, lives in London and recognises Urquhart as the soldier who killed them.

Upon being approached by Maria, Urquhart arranges for documents revealing his involvement to be excluded from a coincidental declassification of British records relating to Cyprus; he confides the truth to Elizabeth.

He decides to leak information regarding the oil deposits in order to stir up a conflict in Cyprus as "our Falklands" to unite Britain under his leadership.

Though the troops successfully rescue the hostages, the intervention later results in the death of civilians, including young schoolgirls, largely because of Urquhart's drastic orders.

Urquhart's support plummets, and when he proves unwilling to accept responsibility or sympathy over the deaths, many MPs openly call on him to resign.

Corder advises "drastic measures" and informs her that he has sent a copy of Mattie Storin's tape, revealing Urquhart's role in her death, to Makepeace.