The American President and the British Prime Minister fancy a war. But not everyone agrees. When the Britain's bumbling Minister for International Development, Simon Foster, accidently causes a media splash by mentioning the possibility of an attack on the Middle East, the waves are felt on both sides of the pond. His government's chief spin doctor, the acid-tongued Director of Communications, Malcolm Tucker, is sent in to manage the situation, promptly dispatching Foster to Washington on a 'fact-finding' mission. Foster suddenly finds himself out of his depth and in over his head, trapped in a merry-go-round of abusive peaceniks, unhinged warmongers, infantile bureaucrats and bickering, bullying interns.