The story opens with the crash of a Soviet reconnaissance plane in the remote wilderness of Alaska. The only survivor, a young KGB officer named Sergei Ivanov, is rescued by a local trapper, Elena , whose family has been living off the grid since the end of World War II. Despite their vast ideological differences, a tentative bond forms between them as they navigate the harsh winter landscape, with Elena nursing Sergei back to health. In the meantime, both KGB and CIA operatives are closing in on them, trying to find Sergei, and the information he stole. There is a CIA base nearby, from where James Taylor is sent out to find him, but tensions are high as after a month, there is no sign of Ivanov yet, and anyone could be the enemy.
