A year after he was granted asylum in the El Rico embassy CIA whistleblower Dan Hern has been forgotten by the media and is at odds with the ambassador's son and the embassy staff. When Daniel is joined by another fugitive, crazy computer hacker Ludo Backslash, a misunderstanding puts Daniel back in the public eye-and on friendlier terms with Ludo.

Spanish painter Velazquez renders an incestuous royal family in grotesque glory, while Zurbaran paints the fervent ecstasy of martyrs and monks.

Daniel is dismayed to find that the media is interested in gossip his ex-wife has told a press journalist. His solicitor arranges a press conference where, as a result of a misunderstanding, it is assumed that he has been tortured during his stay at the embassy.