[2][3] It is March 1998, and two young missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Andrew Lee Propst (Maclain Nelson) and Travis Robert Tuttle (Corbin Allred), are serving in southeastern Russia.

While out in the city of Saratov, the two are approached by a man named Nikolai (Nikita Bogolyubov) who asks them to come to his apartment to teach him and a friend about their faith.

The Propst family receives an anonymous check for the demanded $300,000, but ultimately decide not to pay it, as it would encourage the kidnapping of more missionaries for easy money.

This proves to be true; Propst manages to remove his handcuffs and devises a plan with Tuttle to escape, but the two then remember their purpose as a missionaries and put their cuffs back on instead of fighting their way out of captivity.

The Elders ask about a tattoo on Sergei's hand, which Nikolai tells them came from his days as a Russian Naval hero and means "forever loyal."

Director Garrett Batty had wanted to make a film about the kidnapping of the LDS missionaries ever since he first heard their story in the news.

Years later, he contacted Propst and Tuttle with the intention of making a movie about their experiences in Russia; the two were skeptical at first, but met with Batty and shared their story.

Production hit multiple snags: Batty underwent heart surgery shortly after his meeting with Propst and Tuttle, and financial backing took a while to manifest.

Jeremy Prusso was the cinematographer, Connor O'Malley was the editor, Heather Reid was the production designer, and Robert Allen Elliott composed the film's score.