In 1936 Moscow, Stalin's diabolical reign is in its infancy. Under a volatile political situation, Captain Alexei Dimitrevich Korolev is tasked with investigating the death of a woman whose body was found in a church. But when he discovers that the victim is actually American, his investigation is seized by the NKVD, Russia's most feared government arm, and his activities come under suspicion. Facing exile, Korolev seeks help from the city's underworld....