the subject was real and the story line was not difficult to follow : after the outbreak of the first world war lawrence is recruited by the war office as an advisor on arab affairs and posted to cairo where his lack of interest in military protocol is interpreted as insubordination , whereas the audience are encouraged to see his inappropriate and awkward behaviour as the charming and unworldly bumbling of an academic genius who is unused to having to display respect for someone merely on the basis of his rank .