I've never liked heroes, Jack. They tend to think more of their actions than they do the repercussions.
—Elizabeth Wright
Russia, 1969: a young Red Army soldier oversees the violent shutting-down of a mysterious project.
Present day: Jack Ryan investigates the possible revival of a dangerous project from the end of the Soviet era, a project that threatens the whole of Eastern Europe and might restart the USSR.
Meanwhile, the President of the Czech Republic prepares for the arrival of a Russian minister.
Tropes:
- Artistic License – History: The flashbacks are dated 1969 and are set as the USSR is ready to collapse, which should be 1989.
- Black-Tie Infiltration: Jack makes contact with Zoya Ivanova by sneaking into a black tie part in a high-end hotel. She passes him a simcard, apologises, then has him exposed as a gatecrasher and thrown out as the simplest way to preserve her Plausible Deniability.
- Camera Sniper: Russian Defence Minister Dmitry Popov is assassinated by a sniper as he speaks to Czech President Alena Kovac.
- Escort Mission: After finding nuclear scientist Yuri Bashkin on the cargo ship, Jack must escort him to safety so he can testify that project Sokol has been revived. He fails as they're ambushed in Athens by Russian agents, who kill Yuri and pin it on Jack when he escapes.
- False Reassurance: When the lead scientist in 1969 explains that Sokol has been delayed, but is back on track and will be ready in six weeks, he's clearly scared. To his relief, the general tells him it's all okay and that their work is valued. However, he told them that to Let Them Die Happy as the decision of their fate has already been made.
- Fugitive Arc: By the end, Jack is on the run from his own people, the Greek police and Russian agents, having been framed for the murder of Yuri Bashkin.
- Honey Trap: A random Czech bartender is picked up by a mysterious woman and invited to a football game with her spare ticket. It's the same game the Czech President is attending with the Russian Defence Minister, and he's framed for the Minister's assassination.
- Spotting the Thread: When Jack finds the CIA safe house in Athens, he spots undercover agents all over the place and realises Elizabeth Wright has given him up to the Greek authorities.
- Title Drop: The Soviet project is named Sokol, Russian for Falcon.
- Tracking Device: Jack is given a simcard that, once the other end is active, will give him the location of some vital material on Sokol.
- You Know Too Much: The scientists working on Sokol are all gunned down when the project becomes "a noose around the USSR's neck."
