**SPOILER ALERT** Top British intelligence, M15, agent David Audley, Terrence Stamp, is put on a top secret assignment by his boss known as "The Master" Sir Geoffrey Hobson, Willoughby Gray. David is to investigate the death of a very promising Oxford student Neil Smith. Smith either lost control of his motorcycle or was murdered or killed himself in a plunge into a nearby lake.
Sir Geoffrey tells David that there's been a number of not only tragic accidents by promising British university students, the cream of Britsh intelligentsia, but also arrests of students for using drugs and having wild sex parties. This is causing them to be disqualified in entering government service and thus depriving the British government of many of it's future political leaders.
At first it's thought by David and Sir Geoffrey that the Soviet KGB is involved in these underhanded actions like it was back in the 1930's 40's and early 50's. David uses both his wife Faith, Carmen Du Sautoy, and his good friend police commander Nick Hannah, Michael Culver, to go undercover in the world of the Britsh top academic circles and find out just what's going and if the KGB is involved in it.
Very complicated story that has both Faith & Nick, as well as David, risk their lives in trying to get to the bottom of these strange and unfortunate happenings to the top British students.Nick going undercover as a Col. Butler gets involved with this secretive group of British Empire elitists fanatics called "The Apostles", who were involved with the late Neil Smith. Nick is lucky to get away from them with his life when he's caught impersonating the colonel by their leader Charles Epton, Seymour Green. Epton only let Nick live in the fear that if he had him killed it would expose his anti-government subversive movement. By having whoever was involved with him, David & Sir Geoffery, know that they and Nick were really on to something.
Faith goes undercover looking for the very promising Oxford student and Rhodes Scholar Anne Osborne, Emma Relph. Faith finds had not only has Emma dropped out of Oxford, and a very promising career in politics, but joined this brain washing transcendental meditation cult headed by this blind Russian guru who calls himself Seddon, Bogdan Kominwski. Seddon together with his second in command Angel, Alexandra Stordy, keeps the people in their group in line by whacking, at least Angel does, themselves in their thighs as if that silly action on Seddon and Angel's part would scare them into not leaving! like it obviously does Anne!
The movie comes full circle later when David get's in touch with both Polly Epton, Caroline Bliss, the daughter of Apostle leader Charles Epton and her boyfriend Dan Machlachlan, Anthony Calf. The two later come under fire by some unknown assassin when they, together with David, drive back to David's place.
It becomes evident that the person, or persons, who are involved in these deadly actions against the university students are working to undermined the British government. It also turns out, by David putting two and two together, that it's in a way totally unprecedented in the history of inter-national espionage! very much like it was done in the book and movie "The Manchurian Candidate". Yet far more clever and deceptive with the person, or persons, involved in this devilishly sinister scheme fulling knowing what he or she is involved in.
