The Fall of 1925 finds Lady "Wally" Carrington and Lady "Willie" Dorsett preparing for a trip to Brighton when they receive an invitation from Wally's cousin, Lord Posthumous Remington, to a holiday in Istanbul, Turkey. Due to the post World War I punishment by the Allies, Istanbul is a divided city with British, French and Italian controlled sectors and the visit promises to be perilous. Accompanied by their protector, Hafez Konevi Pasha, and Wally's maid, Florence, they soon find themselves involved in murders on the Orient Express, treasonous documents, the rise of Atäturk, the fall of the sultanate and the lecherous machinations of sinister men. The plot thickens as Wally finds herself the ransom for her cousin while Willie is up to her elbows in a box of sticky Turkish taffy.