 During the course of the novel, it becomes increasingly clear that Howden's premiership is gravely threatened by the consequences of an amoral political pact that Howden was forced to make with erstwhile ally Harvey Warrender in order to gain the party leadership.The deteriorating relationship between Howden and Warrender forms one of the key plot movements of the novel.Another major plot element is the destabilization of the internal political situation in the country as a result of a PR campaign led by the opposition centering on the case of the illegal immigrant involved in a court case in British Columbia.