Superpatriotic Briton Michael Caine learns from his son Nigel Havers, a Russian translator with Government Communications Headquarters, that the CIA might have ordered the deaths of some GCH employees to avoid any security leaks. When Havers mentions that he's thinking about blowing the whistle on the sordid goings-on, Caine, convinced that whatever the CIA is doing is for the greatest good, implores his son to keep quiet. Soon afterward, Havers is found murdered. Even after this, Caine refuses to think ill of his government and its allies. It takes the death of investigative reporter James Fox to shake Caine out of his self-denial and to confront the persons responsible for the killings within the GCH. The venerable John Gielgud offers a surprising characterization in this complex conspiracy thriller.