Corrupt Prime Minister Andrew Gerrard has engaged in a covert agreement with the Indonesian president to begin building himself a retirement nest egg - if the Australian government agrees to fund immigration detention centres. When his plans are disrupted by a tragic plane accident that kills key members of parliament, Gerrard devises a strategy to rush the entire funding scheme through the parliament within a week. Political stalwart and soon-to-be-retired clerk of parliament, Gordon O'Brien, suspects a conspiracy to defraud the government, and reluctantly sets out to foil the prime minister's plan with the help of young-gun investigative journalist, Anita Devlin. The first part in the Democracy Trilogy sizzles with insider knowledge into the machinations of Australian politics. It's a brilliant and suspenseful political thriller where corruption, power and truth collide.