Price of Oil

Synopsis

TEHRAN, IRAN, 1924. It’s a turbulent time as world leaders vie for drilling rights in Iranian oil fields currently under British control. ROSE PEARCE (27) is a British nurse working in a health clinic at the British Embassy. Rose teaches English to Persian teen ALI RASHTI (14) while he works in the Embassy’s garden to support his family. Ali mentions a suspicious conversation he overheard while working at a teahouse – COLONEL FRAZER (53), JAMES MALCOLM (35), a British intelligence agent and their asset Kareem talked about using the newly assigned U. S. Vice Consul and an amateur photographer MAJOR IMBRIE for their dangerous “ruse” at a holy site.

Always taught to do the right thing, Ali wants to warn Imbrie but Rose trusts the British government and tells Ali to not interfere. She encourages him to work with his cousin MAJID (35) at the upcoming Embassy banquet.

As Ali serves food at the banquet, he’s alarmed to hear Malcolm talking to Major Imbrie about photographing the town’s sacred fountain. They also talk about British and U.S. governments partnering to keep Russia out of their Iranian oil interests. Malcolm recognizes Ali from the teahouse.

Two days later, Malcolm watches the holy fountain from afar while disguised as a peasant. The site is crowded with visitors. People growing concerned as Imbrie unloads photo equipment with fellow American SEYMOR (30) near the holy shrine. Ali arrives, and urges the Americans to flee -- but it’s too late – the angry mob brutally attacks the Americans. Ali and two policemen take the Americans to a hospital. Led by sword-wielding Cossacks, the mob storms the hospital to find the Americans. Hours later, Malcolm visits the hospital and learns that Imbrie was killed but Seymour survived.

Rose discovers that Ali was put in a Cossack prison. Posing as Ali’s sister, Rose visits Ali and learns that he was arrested for Imbrie’s murder -- but the teen suffered a head injury and remembers nothing about the attack. Determined to free Ali, Rose and Majid decide to investigate Imbrie’s demise. At the hospital, Rose is told that Cossacks struck Ali in the head as he helped to bring in the Americans. Only one soldier (MORTEZA, 19) refused to follow the Cossacks’ kill order.

Col. Frazer asks Malcolm to investigate Rose’s interest in Imbrie. As Malcolm questions Rose, she urges the British Embassy to find the real culprits in Ali’s case but Malcolm refuses to interfere with the Americans’ demand for the death penalty. Appalled, Rose reveals that she knows about the British role in installing the Persian prime minister. Col. Frazer now orders Malcolm to deal with Rose as a threat.

Malcolm meets with a fellow British spy and learns that a Russian agent named KERENSKY may know who gave the order to kill Imbrie. Donning a disguise, Malcolm kidnaps and tortures Kerensky until he admits that a British master spy SIDNEY REILLY gave the order to have Kareem orchestrates killing of Imbrie.

Col. Frazer now orders Malcolm to get Rose out of the country before Ali’s execution at dawn. When Rose hears about the execution and travel orders, she obtains a cage of pigeons and gives her friends secret instructions. Later, she threatens to expose Malcolm’s illegal activities to the press but promises to bury everything she knows if she’s allowed to attend Ali’s execution. Frustrated, Malcolm agrees to her terms.

Before sunrise, Rose brings a cage of homing pigeons to the prison. Malcolm is wary. At the prison yard, Ali stands tall in front of the firing squad reciting his last prayers. When Rose disappears into a dark corner, Malcolm grows uneasy. Suddenly, Rose reappears with a release paper in hand, yelling “Ali, you are free!” Ali smiles wide just before he and Hussain are shot dead by the firing squad. As Rose collapses in tears, Malcolm grabs the paper and finds it blank. Rose only used it to brighten Ali’s final moment. Despondent, Rose now attaches notes to the pigeons and sets them free. As the birds fly away, Malcolm smiles and leaves for his next assignment in Russia.