A missing American CIA agent is drugged and crashes his car into the GUM shop in Red Square, Moscow.

He is carrying verbatim transcripts of top secret meetings held in Russian and Chinese Government offices and embassies around the world.

Carter is captured and tortured in the basement under the shop by members of the Brothers Twelve – a Chinese spy ring operating in Moscow.

Carter finds the remaining members of the Brothers Twelve packing their secret documents and tapes and preparing to depart.

Chou Tso-Lin, leader of the Brothers Twelve, escapes after rigging the warehouse to explode with Sichikova still inside.