On the morning of 1 November in New York City, a consortium of business leaders are informed that Salah Ibn Sidki of Kuwait, Mahdi Al Taleb of Saudi Arabia, and Rashid Al Sharif of Tunisia, all members of the Arab Organization of Oil Producing States, are conspiring to create a petrochemical infrastructure in the Middle East that would offer fierce competition to the American oil industry. That same day, in Moscow, Russia, an economist explains that the Arab petrochemical enterprise would share its wealth with oil-producing nations of the Third World, virtually eliminating Russian influence. Both groups conclude that countermeasures must be taken. The following day, in London, England, Ibn Sidki and his wife are thrown from their hotel room window by a pair of assassins disguised as waiters. As the assassins make their escape in the stairwell, one stabs his comrade to death before removing his disguise and boarding a bus outside. Gregory Zolnikov later murders the remaining assassin. A short time later, Al Taleb, the Saudi Arabian Minister of State, is shot to death by a soldier in the streets of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In Nice, France, Al Sharif spends a romantic evening with a beautiful young British woman named Nicole Scott. They arrive at a villa the following morning, where Nicole sedates Al Sharif and covers his head with a plastic bag. Nicole takes a shower while Al Sharif quietly suffocates. Two days later, Khalil Abdul-Muhsen is appointed as the new Saudi Minister of State. His friend, Hamid, a colonel in the army, will accompany him on his first mission: delivering a statement on changes in Saudi Arabian foreign policy before a special session of the United Nations General Assembly. On November 15, Khalil and Hamid are escorted through New York City by Frank Dedario, a police detective assigned to head their security detail. Khalil states that he was educated in the city and has visited several times since. The following day, Khalil arrives at the United Nations building, where he is greeted by Fouad, a delegate from Syria, who expresses his hope for friendship between their countries, though Khalil is somewhat skeptical. In his statement to the general assembly, Khalil announces Saudi Arabia’s intention of partnering with any nation in the research and development of new energy sources, including nonmembers of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). He also says that his country denounces hostility toward Israel and will only support the creation of a Palestinian state through peaceful means. Delegates from other Arab countries are not pleased with the speech, and reporters in the pressroom predict that Khalil will be assassinated. However, most of the delegates give Khalil a standing ovation. At a reception that evening, when Fouad argues the futility of a dialogue between Israel and Palestine, Khalil reminds him that the hostilities are fueled by outside forces, including the communist nations that supply aid to several Arab states. Nicole appears at the reception, escorted by the British attaché, and she compliments Khalil on his speech. He is transfixed by her beauty and has Hamid inquire as to her identity. Khalil’s speech has made him a popular guest on news broadcasts, but has also placed him at greater risk of assassination, so a group of federal agents, led by a man named Justin, is added to his security detail. Sometime later, Nicole attends an antiques auction where Khalil outbids her for a gold snuffbox. At the end of the auction, Nicole compliments Khalil on his taste, admonishes him on his extravagance, and refuses to join him for cocktails. However, when Khalil sends the snuffbox to Nicole, she refuses the gift but accepts his invitation. After spending a pleasant day together, Khalil invites Nicole to spend the weekend with him in the Bahama Islands. Hamid and the security detail accompany them, and additional guards are posted around their rented villa. Khalil and Nicole enjoy a romantic, carefree weekend until four assassins attack their villa on Sunday morning. Although several of the guards have been killed, Khalil and Nicole require little assistance in annihilating the invaders. Khalil and his entourage return to New York City, where he is to address the United Nations once again. He enters the General Assembly to a standing ovation, which excludes delegates from several Arab states. Upon hearing Khalil’s announcement that Saudi Arabia has invited Israel to partner with OPEC as a “nonproducing member,” the Syrian and Iraqi delegations walk out. Khalil explains that the partnership will reduce the influence held over the Middle East by the world’s superpowers. Another standing ovation follows, but neither the Russians nor the Americans show any enthusiasm. Nicole, who has been observing the speech from the pressroom, receives a note, containing only the word, “Now!” Later, after relocating Khalil to the Saudi Arabian consulate, Justin and Frank discover the presence of several foreign assassins in New York City, including Gregory Zolnikov, and recommend that Khalil return to his country. Khalil tells Nicole that he is in love with her and asks her to join him in Saudi Arabia. Nicole is reluctant, saying that she would “clutter up” his life, but Khalil convinces her. As he and the others leave the consulate, four bombs are placed among the crowd of demonstrators outside. Frank, who is driving a decoy car, is killed by one of the bombs. Khalil and Nicole escape the mayhem, but hear about it on the car radio as Hamid drives them to the airport. When stopped in a traffic jam, Hamid draws a gun and tells Nicole, “Kill him now.” She hesitates for a moment, then shoots Hamid through the head, before shooting Khalil. Nicole arrives in London on 11 December with a new identity. Zolnikov follows her as she leaves the airport.