In the early 1950s, Louis Sears becomes the American Ambassador to the (fictional) Southeast Asian country, Sarkhan. Despite being the top American diplomat in the country, Sears does not speak Sarkhanese, does not understand the history or the culture, and spends most of his time complaining that the local newspapers criticize him. At the same time, Luis Krupitzyn, a Russian diplomat in Sarkhan, is an expert in Sarkhanese language and culture, lives quietly, and works effectively to sway the Sarkhanese population toward Communism. Krupitzyn thinks that Sears is a valuable asset to the Russian cause, since he makes Americans look stupid and prevents them from getting any real work done. He advises his contacts in the local newspapers to run flattering articles about Louis Sears, which they obligingly do.
A Catholic priest named Father Finian travels to Burma on an evangelistic mission to reach the local Burmese people. Finian is an expert on Communism, having read most of its significant literature, and considers it a uniquely evil threat that the Church must actively combat. When Finian arrives in Burma, he spends his first months learning the language and adapting his body to the local food, even though it makes him terribly sick for weeks. Finian then finds eight Burmese men, a few of whom are Catholics, but all of whom are fiercely anti-Communist, and tells them that though he organized their meeting, he will follow the will of the group. The men discuss the growing threat of Communism, particularly because the Communists do not let the Burmese people worship freely. The nine men do not care whether everyone in their area is Christian or Buddhist, but only that they are able to live free. The men begin a quiet campaign against Communism, anonymously publishing actual articles by Communist leaders that criticize peasants and demonstrate that Communism will not truly benefit poor people but only gather power for itself. Through their efforts, the nine friends destroy Communism’s influence in their entire province.
On an American press tour, a Burmese journalist named Ruth Jyoti criticizes an American diplomat, Joe Bing, whom all Americans love for his boisterous and extravagant personality, but whom Asians find extremely boorish and insensitive. Jyoti thinks Bing is typical of most American diplomats. Elsewhere, a bored young woman named Marie MacIntosh listens to Joe Bing talk about how great working abroad for the Foreign Service is. She takes a job in Sarkhan and lives a far more luxurious life in Sarkhan than she could ever afford in America. In Sarkhan, Louis Sears receives word that he is being sent back to America to become a federal judge, and that he will be replaced by Gilbert MacWhite.
MacWhite spends his first six months as Ambassador to Sarkhan laying a careful plan to rid the country of Communists. He believes his plan is foolproof until he discovers that his Chinese servants are Communist spies who’ve revealed his plan to their superiors, and his months of planning are already ruined. MacWhite decides he needs to learn more about Asian politics and psychology, so he takes a long leave of absence to travel Southeast Asia and meet other Foreign Service workers.
In Vietnam, an American, Major “Tex” Wolchek, joins the French Major Monet and his Foreign Legionnaires, fighting against the Communists in Vietnam. Although Monet and his men are excellent fighters, they lose every battle and cannot understand why. MacWhite joins them as an observer, and he and Tex slowly convince Monet that the Communists fight by entirely different rules than the French do. To defeat their enemy, they need to understand Communist ideology and tactics by reading a book by Communist leader Mao Tse-tung. Monet is hesitant to go against French military tradition, but he eventually agrees to adopt Communist guerilla warfare tactics, and they enjoy their first victory in months. However, when Tex, Monet, and MacWhite present their epiphany to French and American military leaders, they are promptly ignored.
Tom Knox, an American chicken farmer, spends two years traveling Cambodia, visiting villages, and teaching local people how to raise healthier chickens. At a conference with other Foreign Service workers, Tom presents a simple and cost-effective plan to strengthen Cambodia’s chicken stock by introducing a few American breeds into the local poultry population, strengthening their chicken stock and multiplying the country’s egg output. Although Tom’s plan is practical, his superiors refuse to back it since it does not sound grand, impressive, or immediately beneficial. Tom is so furious that he resigns and intends to return to Washington, D.C., to “raise hell” until the American government funds his plan. However, the French diplomats send Tom on a long and luxurious trip through Asia and Europe, treating him like an esteemed guest. After months of luxury and travel, Tom cannot remember why he was so angry or passionate about Cambodian villagers and their chickens.
The American, Colonel Hillandale, visits Sarkhan, taking time away from his normal work in the Philippines. Hillandale is an astrology enthusiast and recognizes that it is a very important practice in Sarkhanese culture. At a dinner with Sarkhanese heads of state, Hillandale reads the Prime Minister’s palm and advises him on political matters. The prime minister asks Hillandale to read the King’s palm, which would provide an excellent diplomatic opportunity for America. However, the American diplomat George Swift thinks astrology is stupid and fails to follow protocol when arranging the King’s palm reading, which deeply offends the Sarkhanese and destroys Hillandale’s opportunity.
In Hong Kong, Solomon Asch leads a conference on nuclear armament, where the American delegation tries to convince India, Thailand, and Burma to store nuclear weapons in their countries. Asch leads the American delegates with strict discipline and masterful planning, but the negotiations fall apart when one of his delegates starts a nightly affair with a local woman, costing him sleep and crippling his negotiating performance.
American engineer Homer Atkins and his wife, Emma, move to a poor rural village in Sarkhan. The villagers struggle to irrigate their crops, since they live on high hillsides and must haul water up the hill from a creek far below. Homer designs a bicycle-powered water pump that can be made entirely from locally sourced pieces. He presents it to the village headman, who introduces Homer to their local mechanic, Jeepo. Jeepo and Homer go into business together as equal partners, teaching other villagers to design and manufacture their sustainable and practical water pump, creating a new local industry. At the same time, Emma realizes that all of the elderly people’s back are bent from sweeping with short-handled broom. Since good wood is not readily available, Emma finds a long and firm reed that can be cut to make a long broom handle, and demonstrates to the elderly people how, when using a long-handled broom, they can sweep with their backs straight and save themselves from a painful hunch.
Senator Jonathan Brown travels from America to Vietnam to determine whether the Foreign Service’s progress justifies their massive budget. Brown arrives intending to get the real facts and conduct a thorough investigation, but his ailing health and the diplomats’ efforts to conceal their own incompetence prevent Brown from seeing the truth of the matter. When he gets back to America, Brown testifies before the Senate that the Americans are doing a tremendous job abroad. When a written testimony from MacWhite argues that the Foreign Service is wasteful and ineffective, Brown calls MacWhite a liar.
After his travels in Southeast Asia, MacWhite writes the Secretary of State to argue that America could beat the Communists if it employed capable and dedicated Foreign Service workers rather than the selfish and unprofessional people who currently staff it. He writes a long list of recommended requirements for new recruits that would ensure their professionalism. However, the Secretary of State thinks MacWhite’s recommendations are terribly impractical and requests his resignation as Ambassador to Sarkhan, replacing him with Joe Bing.
