István attends a political fundraising dinner on Park Lane, where Roddy, his project finance lawyer, seats him next to a government minister. István sees his wife, Helen, across the room and mouths an apology for being late. He pitches his Rainham development project (his current building project) to the minister, showing computer-generated images on his phone, which also displays photos of his seven-year-old son, Jacob. An elderly woman nearby expresses anti-immigration views until she realizes that István is a foreigner. Entertainment includes a newsreader’s speech and an auction of Tory memorabilia; István makes several losing bids to signal his commitment. After the event, Helen and István’s driver, Samuel, takes them home. At Cheyne Walk, Helen tells István that she will sleep alone in her own room tonight; they have had separate rooms for years. István debriefs with his mother, then checks on Jacob, noting that the nanny keeps the room too warm. 

The next morning, István walks to his office and reflects that the meeting with the minister was necessary because the man’s help is needed to correct a clerical error that threatens the entire Rainham project by potentially subjecting it to millions in new taxes. (Roddy had suggested that István meet the minister and donate to his political party in order to speed up the bureaucratic process.)

At Jacob’s birthday party, Helen’s son Thomas makes a brief appearance. Later, István gives Jacob a bath, and his mother brings him warm milk. At Jacob’s request, István tells him a story about fighting in Al-Suwaira. István finds himself choosing the story of bringing water to the Ukrainians, omitting any mention of Riki’s death. When Jacob asks if anyone was killed, István lies and claims that no one was hurt. Jacob declares that he wants to be a “fireman,” István privately reflects on the opportunities that his success has created for his son.

Weeks later, in Battersea Park, Jacob asks for a dog but is put off when István explains the cleanup responsibilities. Suddenly, Roddy calls to say that The Times has published a story linking the dinner, the donation, and the expedited planning permission, creating a political scandal that is frightening off investors in the Rainham project. To rectify the situation, they urgently need István’s funding share and positive PR.

At dinner, István tells Helen they need the Nyman Trust loan immediately. Helen persuades the trust’s lawyer, Heath, to approve it, but because the amount involved is so large, Heath insists upon finally telling Thomas about all loans made to István—both the past loans, which total £80 million, and the new, larger loan.

The narrative shifts to Thomas, who now attends Oxford, smokes too much weed, and volunteers at a homeless shelter. One evening, a resident of the shelter dies. A fellow volunteer, Lucy, invites Thomas for a drink, but at the pub, she warns him against pursuing her romantically. Later, when Helen informs Thomas about the loans, Thomas is shocked and angry. He tells Helen that István exemplifies a primitive form of masculinity; Helen later reports this comment to István.

Weeks pass. At Christmas, a drunken Thomas confronts István in his study, accusing him of theft, and István tells him to leave. Thomas makes a scene, and Jacob later questions István about the incident; Helen admits to telling Jacob that Thomas has never liked István.

After a fortnight skiing in Verbier with Helen’s sister, Sarah, and her husband, Mike, István and Helen attend a Gagosian gallery opening to which István has invited potential investors for the Rainham project. Thomas arrives drunk and argues with security. Helen intervenes, but Thomas screams at her, and in front of all the guests, he accuses Helen and István of stealing his inheritance and calls them thieves. 

The next morning, Roddy arranges István’s release from Charing Cross Police Station and takes István to a café. Only then does the narrative reveal that after Thomas’s accusation, István violently attacked him and threw him to the floor; István was then arrested for assault and spent the night in jail. Now, István explains he felt provoked. Roddy says the story is everywhere online and that the building project cannot be completed. István returns home to find that Helen is gone; she is staying with her artist friend. István leaves to pick Jacob up from school.