Stanislav Lushinski is a Polish man who serves as a diplomat of an African country at the United Nations. Due to his race, he is viewed as strange for representing a black country. Lushinski strives to remove himself from his past Holocaust experiences by marrying a woman of German descent named Louisa and appearing on comedic talk shows on television.  Lushinski's assistant, Morris Ngambe, engages in conversation with Lushinski about their childhoods, but Lushinksi shares little personal information and remains secretive.  Lushinski takes Ngambe with him to meet with the Secretary of State who seems concerned only with political matters and war while dismissing Ngambe’s comments about cholera outbreaks. Ngambe notes feeling degraded. War breaks out, but the Prime Minister signs the ceasefire. Lushinski seems undisturbed by the war, but Ngambe becomes unsettled by the creation of war for the economic benefit of raising prices.  Back at home, Lushinski quarrels with Louisa, or Lulu, about his fear of the word Jew and his past with the Holocaust.  Lushinski and Ngambe travel frequently to New York, where Ngambe’s bike gets stolen, making him like America less and less. Lushinski, on the other hand, revels in the melting pot culture that enables him to hide his Jewish past.  Morris reflects on impersonation as he watches a film about Tarzan and brings up the topic of identity to the Prime Minister who shows little interest. Ngambe believes that Lushinski cannot be considered African, and tells Lushinski that to become African, his becoming politically involved without cultural absorption is inadequate.  The following day, a terrorist planning to shoot the Prime Minister misses accidentally shoots the Minister's wife. The Prime Minister then tells Lushinski to stop traveling to America, much to Lushinski’s displeasure.  Time passes, and Lushinski returns to visit the Prime Minister who has already remarried. Lushinski has changed very little in his relationship fluidity, gaining two new mistresses of his own. One is a “young female” whom the Minister offers to him, and the other is one of Morris’s sisters.