New York City, 1961. At the peak of the Cold War, the charismatic diplomat and economist Dag Hammarskjöld has reached the pinnacle of his power, serving as Secretary-General of the United Nations in his seventh year. After decolonization, he takes it upon himself to bring peace to the African countries, thwarting plans to further exploit resources of both powerful entrepreneurs and world leaders. His life is turned upside down when his old friend Peter shows up in New York. Dag realizes that he has missed out on an important part of life and starts questioning his unprecedented devotion and dedication to his job and vision. When UN peacekeepers are killed in open battle in the Congo, the Secretary-General sees no other way than to impose peace by new measures and leads the UN troops on their first war mission. Well aware that his enemies might gather to plot against him, he boards a plane in a final attempt to negotiate a cease-fire…
