Sydney Reilly, said to have been the inspiration for James Bond, was probably the greatest spy the world has ever known. He lived on his wits and thrived on danger, using women shamelessly and killing when necessary. He performed great services for the British Government -- but only to achieve his own ends.

Rich, flamboyant, and handsome, Reilly reveled in his world of lies and deception. In a vast chess game of tactical manipulation, he played country against country, always remaining three steps ahead of his opposition. From the gentlemen’s club of Edwardian England to the forbidding gates of the Kremlin itself, he influenced world history with skill and audacity rarely seen since.

On his final mission, Reilly tried to mount a coup against Stalin and put himself at the head of a new government. Now, after fifty years, his story can finally be told. Against a backdrop of international politics and intrigue, the series tells the story of this ruthless and brilliant spy. This is a drama on a mammoth scale.