The book is dedicated to the history of British diplomat Robert Bruce Lockhart (1887–1970), who in 1918 became involved in the so-called "conspiracy of the three ambassadors."

According to the official Soviet version, based on which Lockhart and some other foreign diplomats and citizens were expelled from Soviet Russia, the conspiracy aimed to organize a coup and overthrow the Bolshevik government, as well as to continue the war against Germany on the Eastern Front. Researchers have often claimed that this threat was exaggerated and served merely as a justification for the ensuing Red Terror. However, in the opinion of the author of this lively and deeply researched book, the threat to the Soviet government was real.

Jonathan Schneer is an American historian living in Britain, a visiting professor at Oxford University, and a professor emeritus at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He is the recipient of numerous academic fellowships and awards. His book "The Balfour Declaration: The Origins of the Arab-Israeli Conflict" was awarded the National Jewish Book Award in 2010. "The Lockhart Plot" was shortlisted for the Pushkin House Book Prize for the best non-fiction book about Russia (2021).