Lewis Eliot is reintroduced to Margaret Davidson , who is now married. He discovers that his feelings for her have not diminished in the years since their affair.

At the outset of the Cold War, Lewis Eliot allies himself to the cause of nuclear disarmament and to the ambitions of a young and idealistic Tory minister, Roger Quaife.

Roger Quaife 's political ambitions are jeopardised by a private scandal -and Lewis Eliot finds his own career is also placed at risk.