Latif Yahia, an Iraqi soldier, is summoned to the palace of Uday Hussein, the sadistic son of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. Uday demands that Latif become his “fiday,” a body double meant to protect him from assassination attempts. Though initially resistant, Latif is coerced into accepting the role under threats to his family's safety. Latif undergoes extensive training, surgery, and manners coaching to perfectly mimic Uday. He quickly becomes engulfed in the decadent and dangerous world of Uday, who is notorious for his violent and hedonistic behavior. Despite being repulsed by Uday's actions, Latif has no choice but to emulate him in public, enduring the psychological strain it causes.

As Latif becomes more entrenched in Uday's life, he witnesses atrocities that test his moral limits. The two live parallel lives; Uday continues his spree of violence and indulgence without remorse, while Latif grows increasingly desperate to escape his imprisonment. Torn between his survival instincts and his conscience, Latif tries to fend off Uday’s attempts to control and corrupt him. Issues of identity and autonomy become central as Latif grapples with the surreal and dangerous reality of living as another person while searching for a way out of this perilous masquerade.