Sword of Gideon

Avner is pulled from his IDF duties when Prime Minister Golda Meir asks him to join Mossad. He accepts despite his father's warnings about the cost and danger. He is soon placed as the leader of an elite five-man unit tasked with hunting down Black September operatives linked to the Munich massacre.

Just before departure, Avner learns his wife is pregnant, a revelation that raises the personal stakes of the mission. He grapples with the risk to his unborn child and to his family. This moment foreshadows the moral toll the killings will exact on him.

The five-man unit is sent to Europe, where most of the Black September terrorists are believed to be hiding. They begin executing targets with firearms and bombs, achieving rapid early success. The missions push them deeper into a shadow war with dangerous consequences.

Avner visits a hospital scene where the target’s wife and daughter cry over the killing. The emotional impact unsettles him and unsettles his certainty about the mission. He begins to question whether assassination can ever be morally justified.

As the killings continue, Avner’s unit becomes wanted on an international level, forcing them to operate under tighter surveillance. Black September operatives and allied spies track their every move. The pressure mounts as the group fights to stay ahead.

Over several months, Black September’s spies kill most of Avner’s teammates. The unit’s cohesion fractures under constant threat. The cascading losses threaten the mission’s purpose and push Avner toward reconsideration.

A botched attempt on two targets nearly wipes out the remaining survivors. Avner asks the case officer to abort the mission, and the request is granted, ending the operation with only two survivors. The survivors are left to grapple with what they’ve done.

Back in Israel, the case officer reveals that Avner's Mossad contract length is three years, a jarring revelation. He tries to quit and considers moving to New York with his wife and infant son to escape the violence. The tension between personal life and national duty intensifies.

In New York, Avner faces ongoing pressure from his case officer to return to Mossad and resume work for Israel. His bid to refuse the mission fails when the boss withdraws all of Avner’s money from the bank, leaving the family financially ruined. The environment strains his marriage and sense of purpose.

Despite the setback, Avner and his family manage to repair an old apartment and start driving a taxi to make ends meet. He maintains a low-profile life, trying to rebuild from the mission’s trauma. The memory of the killings continues to haunt him as he navigates ordinary days.

The film closes with Avner seen commanding an Israeli armored column through the desert, implying a re-engagement with military service. A narrative paragraph confirms he later led a tank unit in the Yom Kippur War. The arc ties personal cost to national duty.