Set in a satirical vision of modern Britain, Hadrian is a young and ambitious civil servant who arranges to receive Greek lessons in preparation for a government promotion which will see him steer British economic policy throughout Greece. But when he meets his teacher Maria, she asks that instead of payment, Hadrian exchanges an hour of his time each week to help her prepare for a citizenship exam that offers potential promotion from Class B to Class A immigrant. He reluctantly agrees, only to find that the gruelling exam requires Maria to display skill in every discipline from political theory and British history to forklift truck driving and devised theatre.