In 1999, a man who goes by the alias 47 is initiated into the International Contract Agency (ICA) and demonstrates exceptional aptitude as an assassin. The ICA is unable to verify his background or uncover any information about him. With the help of his handler Diana Burnwood, 47 passes all of the tests flawlessly. ICA director Erich Soders approves agent status for 47.
In 2019, 47 completes a series of contracts for the ICA. At first, the contracts appear to be unrelated but a man who is known only as the "shadow client" has covertly coordinated these contracts to attack a secretive organisation called Providence, whose existence and covert control over world affairs were thought to be mythical. The shadow client uses ICA and Agent 47 to kill Providence agents, making ICA appear culpable and hiding his own involvement. The final contracts address the fallout caused by the ICA uncovering the shadow client's actions and by Providence discovering the ICA's role in the attacks. The shadow client performs an assassination for Viktor Novikov, a head of the international spy ring IAGO, and receives a copy of all of IAGO's intelligence as payment.
