Harm meets with a Russian 'contact' in order to purchase documents that will prove his father was taken to Russia after being shot down in Vietnam. However, during the transaction, they are interrupted by a KGB agent, Col. Parlovsky who shoots & kills the Russian, then runs off as FBI agents show up, finding Harm over the body, with the gun & documents he wrestled away.

As the FBI wants to hold him for the murder of the Russian, Adm. Chegwiggen manages to have Harm transferred to a military brig, and court-martialed, much to the dismay of the FBI agents. CIA agent Clayton Webb, knowing that it was Parlovsky, not Harm that committed the shooting, arranges for Harm to escape from custody in hopes Parlovsky will contact Harm.

In the end, Parlovsky makes contact with Harm, but they both get away before Webb can catch them. Parlovsky tells Harm the documents were a fake and burns them. He then leaves, refusing to help clear Harm of the shooting.

(The time is 1980, several Russian soldiers are guarding a prisoner who is Harmon Rabb, Sr. at a train station. The KGB take a photo of the persons gathered there - a photo which has made its way to Harmon Rabb, Jr. in the present time.)

Clayton Webb meets with Harm at JAG and tells him who the men in the photo are. Webb mentions that one of them, Victor Lushov is now working in San Diego. Harm requests from the Admiral to take an F-14 hop to San Diego to visit his mother, keeping secret his true intentions.

In San Diego, Harm meets with Lushov who turns out to be a Russian pilot who was instrumental interoggating Harm, Sr. after he was shot down over Vietnam, later befriending him. He tells Harm Jr. all about what happened to his father, that Harm Sr. fed all kinds of disinformation to the Russians, which was worse than telling them nothing. Lushov gives Harm Jr. the KGB file number for his father. And says he wants to live and will not repeat what he has said to anyone.

Having been shot at by Russian fighters, Mac & Harm are forced to eject from their plane, which then noses into the bottom of a very deep lake. The Russians announce to the world that Harm & Mac have been killed, which is broadcasted back to the USA by ZNN reporter Chuck DePalma.

Webb tries to convince the Admiral that they have been killed, but when A.J. learns their bodies haven't been found, A.J. becomes irate and vows to go to Moscow himself to look for them. The SecNav orders A.J. not to go, who replies that the SecNav doesn't want to try & stop him.

In Russia, A.J. meets with DePalma who tells A.J. that he doesn't believe the Russians, that certain things in their story don't add up.

In the woods, a husband & wife gypsies come across Harm & Mac. They are disappointed when they learn that Harm & Mac are not American Spies as at least the spies have gold coins to give to Russians that help them.