The Assets

The CIA scores a major break when Vitaly Yurchenko, a high-ranking KGB officer, defects to the US. Assigned as the lead in the debriefing, Aldrich Ames engages in a verbal cat-and-mouse game to determine whether he is in danger of being ratted out. Ames considers taking drastic measures when Yurchenko reveals that he knows of a mole in the CIA. Meanwhile, Sandy frets over the safety of a beloved and esteemed asset, General Dmitri Polyakov.

After learning that a breach remains at the CIA, Sandy butts heads with Jeanne Vertefeuille, the senior officer conducting a thorough review of their operations. Jeannes presence also rattles Ames, who feels increasing pressure from the Soviets to provide more information. On the home front, Ames feels even more pressure, caught between his love for his wife Rosario, and placating her spendthrift lifestyle.

Having put aside their differences, Sandy and Jeanne move full steam ahead with their mole hunt. The investigation experiences a serious setback, though, when Sandy learns that General Polyakov has been compromised. Through sound recordings, Sandy experiences the brutal interrogation of Polyakov who remains heroic to the end. As Sandy deals with her devastating loss, Ames prepares himself for a high-stakes polygraph test.

Despite the task force being fully convinced of Ames guilt, Sandy seeks more definitive proof to convince the Justice Department to proceed with their own investigation. As the hunt closes in on Ames, Sandys commitment to the job pushes her husbands patience and commitment to the brink. After Ames is finally caught and brought to justice, he mulls over a major decision--to go down defiantly or to confess and protect his wife and child.