Inspired by Michael Soussan's critically acclaimed memoir "Backstabbing for Beginners: My Crash Course in International Diplomacy" the film tells the story of Michael (Theo James), a young idealist who lands his dream job as a program coordinator for the U.N.’s Oil for Food program. He is thrown into an already fraught post-war Iraq where government agents and power- hungry countries are circling Iraq's oil reserves like sharks. He seeks answers from the one person he thinks he can trust, Pasha (Ben Kingsley), his boss, a seasoned diplomat. The more Michael learns, however, the more he suspects a conspiracy at the highest level. The only way out will be to expose it all - risking his own life, his mentor's career, and the life of the Kurdish woman he loves.
