American academic, Dr. Lauren Slaughter, is introduced to her new colleagues at the Institute for Middle Eastern Strategic Studies in London, England. Soon, Lauren discovers that her fellowship salary does not go very far. During a telephone call with her former husband, Nigel, Lauren insists on her half of the proceeds from the sale of their home, but he claims the transaction is pending and the divorce paperwork is not yet final. Lauren asks colleague Julian Shuttle how he manages on his institute salary, and he explains that she can apply for a particular Kuwaiti research grant with a generous stipend that will supplement her income. Soon, Lauren learns that Julian is awarded a Kuwaiti grant, while her own application is rejected. Meanwhile, Lauren receives a mysterious videotape cassette, describing the Jasmine Agency escort service. According to the tape’s claims, women escorts earn lucrative tax-free wages. The more she considers her limited options, the more attractive escorting seems. She signs with the Jasmine Agency, and agrees to all their terms except using an alias. She lines up several dates, and one evening, sees Lord “Sam” Bulbeck, who tells her his name is Sam Weller. She recognizes him from television news and immediately exposes his disguise. A flirtation begins. Lauren says she heard about the death of his wife when she was working on her dissertation in China. After a night of casual sex, Sam admits he uses the escort service because his career gives him no time for courtship rituals. Lauren reveals she is an escort because she needs the money, and Sam fixes her eggs for breakfast. Later, at a Jasmine Agency party, Lauren sees Sam, but Captain Twilley, the agency owner, is eager to introduce her to other clients. Lauren goes home with a Palestinian banker named Karim Hatami, and they make love. Meanwhile, Sam has his staff do a background check on Lauren. He discovers she was a student activist, was married to a British expert on China, and likes living abroad. She is not a spy or working undercover for any organization. Later, Sam meets with his staff to discuss negotiating a peace treaty with Arabs and Israelis. Sam is aware of the risks involved and suggests a “safe house” that the Arabs can check for hidden electronic devices. The staff warns him about his time spent with escorts, but Sam is not overly concerned about a scandal. Later, Karim Hatami takes photographs of Lauren riding a stationary bicycle topless and she is envious of his Central London apartment. He tells her he is moving to a house and offers her the Half Moon Street flat. Sam’s staff informs him that a safe house is ready for the Arabs to occupy while they draft a treaty. Lauren telephones Sam at his office, but he ignores her call. Soon, Captain Twilley arranges a date for Lauren with bachelor, Rex Lanham. Lauren and Rex spend the weekend at a posh country home with his friends. Before long, Sam joins the other guests, and Lauren learns that Rex agreed to be a decoy so Sam could spend time with her. Lying in bed, Lauren’s answers to Sam’s questions about her other dates arouse him. Later, they snack in the kitchen, and Lauren confesses she enjoys spending the night with him more than anyone else. She is unimpressed with his snobbish friends and persuades him to leave in the middle of the night. They walk by a lake and kiss. In a restaurant with his staff, Sam is distracted when he sees Lauren dining with another man. When colleagues notice his new affinity for Perrier water with lime, he mentions he may become a vegetarian. At an institute party, Sam and Lauren meet, and he interrogates her about her recent date. When she insists it is none of his business, they fight, and she leaves. Later, Sam waits for Lauren after work, and apologizes with a bouquet of roses. With peace negotiations going smoothly, Sam and Lauren decide to go away the following weekend to celebrate her birthday. However, Sam has a conflict, and instead, they decide on a quiet dinner at her apartment. Meanwhile, Sam’s telephone is wiretapped, and their conversation is recorded. Sam leaves a voice message, saying the dinner is off, and Rex will make alternate arrangements for a trip to Geneva, Switzerland. Lauren travels to a chateau in Geneva, but learns Sam has been delayed. She bides her time taking squash lessons from an attractive guest named Sonny. When Sam postpones their holiday again, Lauren has sex with Sonny. He sees the written message from Sam in her hotel room, and later checks out of his hotel without saying goodbye. At work, Lauren ignores Sam’s urgent telephone messages. Soon, Sam pulls her out of an institute meeting, and apologizes for the mix up in Geneva. They make love and plan to celebrate Sam’s birthday. However, Lauren’s apartment is electronically monitored and their conversation is recorded. Later, Captain Twilley arranges a date, but Lauren refuses the assignment, and quits working for the agency. As Lauren bakes a birthday cake for Sam, the telephone rings. When she picks up the receiver, the phone emits a series of strange electronic beeps. She hangs up, but the call puts her on edge. Soon, a messenger delivers an impressive floral arrangement. The messenger turns out to be Sonny, and he attacks her, steals her keys, and rips all the telephones out of the wall. When he sits in the living room facing her, she believes that he intends to kill her. Meanwhile, Sam arrives at the safe house by helicopter. At Lauren’s apartment, she uses the bathroom, but Sonny kicks the door open when he hears the shower running. He slowly walks past the shower toward a closet when Lauren emerges next to the glass shower door with a vase, and kills Sonny with a blow to the head. Soon, Karim arrives and she directs him to the bathroom. When he returns, he points a gun and orders her to sit. She learns that she was unknowingly part of a plot by Arab extremists to kill Sam. When the doorbell rings, Karim orders Lauren to open the door but she refuses. He drags her to the door, pressing his gun in her cheek. As the doorbell rings, she slowly reaches for the handle. When she opens the door, she cries out a warning. Instead of Sam, a SWAT team pushes past her and shoots Karim dead with their machine guns, grazing her arm with a bullet. On the street, Sam learns Lauren survived. She emerges from the building wrapped in a red blanket. He asks if she is all right, apologizes, but claims not to have known about the assassins. As Lauren sits by the ambulance, Sam approaches her, smoking a cigarette. She removes the cigarette from his fingers and discards it, and he accuses her of trying to save his life. They exchange smiles.