The series was in four parts.
Part 1: Young Man in a Hurry (1918–1920) In 1918, as Britain rejoices at winning the
First World War, a young army officer, Tom Mosley (Oswald), decides to run for Parliament. Using friends to gain entry to the most important houses, Mosley soon finds himself introduced to the Prime Minister
David Lloyd George and indebted to a sharp-edged American,
Maxine Elliott, who in turn will see her debt repaid in the bedroom. Mosley is elected as the youngest member of
Parliament and raises his profile by attacking more senior politicians, including his own Prime Minister. Seeing an opportunity to step up in the world by seducing
Cynthia (Cimmie) Curzon, the second daughter of
Lord Curzon, and he unashamedly seduces her stepmother on the way.
Part 2: Rules of the Game (1924–1927) Mosley's marriage no more guarantees his faithfulness to Cimmie than his election as a
Conservative MP guarantees his loyalty to the Party. Deeply immersed in a relationship with
Jane Bewley, the wife of a
Tory MP, Mosley's politics take him to the left and the new spirit of the
Labour Party. But the Party finds Mosley's concepts of economic regeneration unrealistic. Nevertheless, he stands for and wins a front bench seat with the opposition Labour Party, although a blatant sexual scandal may cripple his prospects for the future.
Part 3: Breaking the Mould (1929–1933) Mosley and Cimmie both run for seats with the Labour Party and win as the Party sweeps the old Conservative rule from power. Disappointed that he is not appointed to their newly formed cabinet, Mosley finds comfort in forming his own
New Party and forming an attachment with
Diana Guinness. It is not long before Cimmie and Mosley's old comrades find themselves at odds with the New Party - both its politics and its methods of enforcement by appointed "stewards." Meanwhile,
Benito Mussolini's rise to power in Italy encourages Mosley to remake himself in the mould of a
Fascist, once again turning with an opportune tide.
Part 4: Beyond the Pale (1933–1940) Mosley is distraught at the decline in the health of his wife Cimmie who, after years of his philandering, has lost the will to live. Financially supported by Mussolini in Italy, Mosley decides to establish the
British Union of Fascists in her honour. While Diana Guinness establishes relationships with Dr.
Joseph Goebbels in Germany, Mosley develops a relationship with Cimmie's sister,
Alexandra (Baba), in France. At a major meeting of the new organization, hecklers in the audience are beaten to the ground by the Fascist
Blackshirts who salute their leader with
Roman salutes. On a visit to Germany, Mosley marries Diana Guinness in the company of Joseph Goebbels and
Adolf Hitler. But the health of the party will not last long. ==Cast==