After the army, Nikolai returned to his native village. Not wanting to put up with the fact that people are leaving their homes, the hero goes to teach at a technical school that trains tractor drivers for the village.

When long-time British agent Harry Palmer loses his job because the Cold War is over, he's promptly approached by a Russian bossman, Alex. In St. Petersburg Alex tells Harry of his plan for Russia's future, which is threatened because a deadly biochemical weapon called the Red Death has been stolen from him. He'll pay Harry handsomely to retrieve it. An ex-spy friend tips Harry off that it's being sent to Beijing by train, aboard which we begin to learn whose side everyone's really on.

New York police lieutenant Rita Evans arrives in Russia on an exchange program. She's assigned to spend the weekend with Captain Andreev Varlamov of the local militia. A criminal gang, trying to blackmail Varlamov, mistakenly kidnaps Rita instead of his wife—unaware that the sexy blonde with the angelic face has some very sharp claws.