Behind the Iron Curtain, Janos Karq tries to foment war, and he seems likely to succeed. As a matter of policy, assassination is off the table, so the IMF must devise a way to discredit Karq so that his own people will neutralize him. To do this, they enlist the aid of a master of memory, Joseph Baresh, who memorizes the details of an agent called “Sparrow.” Chief of Security Dmitri Soska has long sought Sparrow, so the IMF arranges for him to capture Sparrow – their own Sparrow. He will reveal that Karq has given him orders, suggesting Karq is a traitor. To lend authenticity, the IMF stages a rescue attempt planned to fail – and when Steven Briggs discovers that Baresh has managed to memorize Karq’s own list of agents, he realizes that he can’t chance waiting for diplomats to arrange a trade for Baresh – he must add a rescue to the plan!