In the 1970s, a young Scottish doctor Nicholas Goricken (James McAvoy) came to impoverished Uganda with great ambitions to save the poor people. Here he met a white colleague from the Medical Association, the beautiful Sarah (Gillian Anderson), and was deeply attracted to her. At a rally, Nicholas was able to meet Ugandan President Andy Amin (Forest Whitaker), and Amin's speech fascinated Nicholas, even fanatically worshipped him. After the rally, he rescued Amin who was injured in an accident and was appreciated for his Scottish identity. Later, he approached the cruel monarch as the president's personal doctor... The film is adapted from the novel of the same name by Giles Foden. The leading actor Forest Whitaker won the 79th Academy Award for Best Actor for this film.