In England in the early 1960s, politician Jeremy Thorpe begins a whirlwind affair with a young stablehand, Norman Scott; when the relationship turns sour, Norman becomes a secret Jeremy is desperate to hide.

As Jeremy gets one step closer to becoming prime minister, Norman demands that old promises should be honored; with Jeremy's old affair with Norman threatening to derail his political career, he may stop at nothing to silence Norman.

Having survived a bungled attempt on his life, Norman publicly accuses Jeremy of being behind a plot to kill him; after years of acrimony between them, Norman and Jeremy finally go head-to-head in court with the world watching.