The English government seeks to curtail Islamic attacks on its shipping in the Mediterranean and sends Luke Tremayne as ambassador to the Turkish Empires western outpost of Benbali to negotiate a treaty and free English slaves. His mission is complicated by the corruption and dysfunctional nature of the local English community and the volatile nature of the Benbali government with competing factions and the imminent threat of a coup. Secondary aims to rescue an enslaved English aristocrat, find a stolen golden Madonna, and uncover an escaped war criminal threaten to undermine his mission. This is thrown into further confusion by several murders that Luke is determined to solve despite the death of a close associate and the diversions provided by three alluring women.