The Puppet King is an international thriller that follows a "cause and effect" scenario over decades. It starts with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, and how it affected Erich Strauss, who lost his position as general secretary of the Socialist United Party in East Germany. Strauss plans a comeback with loyalists, and a mysterious figure offers assistance. Meanwhile, investigative journalist Gwen Patterson is sent to Germany to investigate the country's financial crisis, and she uncovers a network of conspirators and misappropriated assets connected to New York City and Washington D.C.