Amsterdam

On a chilly February day, two old friends meet outside a crematorium to pay their respects to Molly Lane. Both Clive Linley and Vernon Halliday had been Molly's lovers before reaching their current prominence—Clive as Britain's most successful modern composer and Vernon as editor of the quality broadsheet, The Judge. Molly had other lovers too, notably Julian Garmony, Foreign Secretary and a right-winger tipped to be the next prime minister. Following Molly's funeral, Clive and Vernon make a pact that will lead to unforeseen consequences. Each makes a disastrous moral decision, their friendship is tested to its limits, and Julian Garmony fights for his political life.