The Death of Me Yet

Edward Young returns to Middletown, a seemingly idyllic 1950s town. He finds a letter announcing his unit's activation and says farewell to his girlfriend Alice before leaving. The narrative later reveals Middletown as a KGB training facility for sleeper agents.

Edward undergoes a final debriefing by his KGB superior and adopts the alias Paul Towers. He spends the following years in the United States, rising to become a newspaper publisher in Redwood Beach, California under that name. The transformation marks his reinvention as a covert asset while living openly in a new country.

While preparing to visit his brother-in-law, Paul goes diving for abalone and nearly suffocates when his SCUBA tank feeds him carbon dioxide instead of oxygen. Sibby dives in to save him, and the two survive the perilous incident. The episode underscores the constant risk embedded in his double life.

Hank Keller, Paul's brother-in-law and head of a defense contractor, is tied to Vandamm's suicide and Soviet blackmail over a secret sonar system. The FBI begins probing Paul's background for security clearance, complicating his already fragile cover. The tension between espionage and civilian life deepens.

At a formal dinner, Paul is interrupted by problems with the newspaper presses and is abducted by KGB agent Nylec from the back seat. He fights back, managing to throw Nylec off a pier into the water, but refuses to shoot him in cold blood. The encounter intensifies the danger surrounding his true identity.

Back home, Sibby grows suspicious of Paul’s secrecy. He confesses his real identity to FBI agent Joe Chalk in a hotel room, explaining how he assumed Paul Towers after defecting. Chalk remains skeptical, but Paul offers to identify Barnes, whom he believes acted as Vandamm's KGB contact. The admission deepens the plot's web of deception.

Paul follows Chalk's instruction and travels to a street corner modeled on Middletown, where Alice awaits. They bargain for the sensitive sheets and reminisce about old times as Paul hopes to draw Barnes into a trap. The meeting tightens the plan to expose sleeper agents.

A helicopter lands on a dirt road and Barnes steps out, explaining that he recognized Paul from a published photo and has been trying to kill him. He reveals his plan to trap Paul and demands more leverage to secure his freedom. Paul hands over the sheets but Barnes remains unsatisfied and plotting.

During a later meeting, Nylec sets a car on fire to distract Chalk, allowing Paul to copy the most critical sheets. They devise a plan to photograph the key documents so Barnes can be arrested. The operation blends manipulation and risk as both sides maneuver for the upper hand.

Barnes reappears at a restaurant, identifying himself as Dr. Shevlin and hinting that Sibby is being held hostage. Paul identifies an innocent bystander to Chalk and goes to Sibby's workplace, where he finds her unconscious. Alice confronts him at gunpoint as he pleads for Sibby's safety, and Nylec interrupts the confrontation.

In the ensuing chaos, Nylec is killed and Sibby’s safety remains at risk. Alice shoots Nylec to save Paul, and Paul is killed in the struggle that follows. Chalk stages Paul’s funeral, marking the end of his public life and the start of a more covert legacy.

Chalk explains that, with Barnes still at large, Sibby would be unsafe if anyone thought Paul were alive. Described as a man who does not legally exist, Paul remains available to the FBI as a clandestine asset to track down the remaining sleeper agents who have adopted new covers. The case closes with a renewed resolve to root out sleeper networks.