It stars Marlon Brando, George C. Scott, Marthe Keller, John Gielgud, G. D. Spradlin, and Beatrice Straight.

Panzer Korps General Helmut Kladen is dispatched to the Swiss frontier with secret documents to be used as a bargaining chip with the Allies to save Germany from the Soviets.

In contemporary Los Angeles, Lt. Barney Caine is assigned to solve the murder of his former boss and friend Tom Neeley, which presumably occurred during a drug deal gone wrong.

Obermann explains operation "Genesis" - a synthetic fuel formula that the Nazis had produced - could wreck the current oil-economy.

At the border with East Berlin, Caine confronts Tadesco who relates how he knew Neeley, and what transpired after his capture by the Americans.

They had managed to keep it secret until Swiss businessman, Tauber, began searching for the members of the original Genesis team, hoping to recreate the formula.

After their meeting, Steiffel calls Tauber, asking him to keep the formula secret for another ten years in exchange for a 25% share of his anthracite holdings.

[3] TV Guide says- "Dull, contrived, and ploddingly directed by John G. Avildsen, this film is a never-ending series of repetitive interviews in which Barney asks questions of a recalcitrant informant.

Brando, who appears in only three scenes and walked off with $3 million for his performance, is the only spark of life in the entire film, albeit a highly bizarre one".