The President’s Mistress

The President’s Mistress

Year: 1978

Runtime: 83 mins

Language: English

Director: John Llewellyn Moxey

MysteryThrillerDrama

A lethal mix of death, deceit and sexual scandal erupts at the highest level of power. When a government courier learns that his slain sister had been the president’s secret mistress and a Soviet operative, he is thrust into a perilous cover‑up, racing against shadowy forces to expose the truth before the conspiracy destroys him.

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The President’s Mistress (1978) – Full Plot Summary & Ending Explained

Read the complete plot breakdown of The President’s Mistress (1978), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.

Donna Morton, Karen Grassle, has been carrying on a clandestine affair for months with the President, meeting him in a Washington, D.C. safe house and always being picked up by a Secret Service driver. The arrangement is tense and covert, with the constant undercurrent of risk.

In Moscow, a US agent inside the Kremlin uncovers a secret document that identifies Donna Morton as a KGB asset sent to spy on the president. This highly sensitive document is whisked back to Washington, where it falls into the hands of the CSA, which begins to monitor Donna and scrutinize every move she makes. The discovery sets off a chain of events that draws the CIA-like organization deeper into a dangerous game of espionage and political peril.

On the same day, her brother Ben Morton, Beau Bridges, a Washington businessman and occasional CSA courier, returns home and reconnects with the city. During a plane ride, he meets Mugsy Evans, Susan Blanchard, and the two begin a romance, adding personal stakes to the unfolding crisis. Not long after, Donna Morton is found dead in her apartment, just moments before she would have been picked up by her regular Secret Service driver, a shocking turn that jolts the investigation into high gear.

Ben begins to dig, uncovering Donna’s affair and, through his CSA and Secret Service contacts, the fact that a CSA agent was seen leaving her building around the time of her death. The driver who frequently ferries Donna confirms CSA involvement, but she is killed before she can reveal more. The mystery grows more dangerous as Ben pieces together a conspiracy that points toward a broader geopolitical play.

Realizing the CSA’s heavy involvement, Ben confronts the CSA’s leadership. They reveal a startling twist: the Soviets were responsible for Donna’s death, and the prime suspect is the head KGB agent in Washington, Anatoly. Anatoly is confronted, and the truth emerges in a tense car interrogation: the classified document identifying Donna as a Soviet agent was a fabrication designed to mislead the CSA and to fall into American hands. The KGB had crafted this ruse to destabilize the White House at a crucial moment in talks with China, turning personal betrayal into a strategic political crisis.

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 12:37

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Political Paranoia Thrillers like The President’s Mistress

Ordinary people uncover deadly government conspiracies in tense, fast-paced thrillers.If you liked the tense, dangerous atmosphere of The President’s Mistress, explore more movies about ordinary individuals uncovering deadly government secrets. These films feature fast pacing, high emotional stakes, and a pervasive feeling of being hunted by an unseen enemy.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative typically begins with a triggering event—a death or a discovered secret—that propels an everyday person into a conspiracy at the highest levels of power. The journey is a frantic investigation, marked by close calls, betrayals, and escalating danger, as the protagonist struggles to expose the truth before being eliminated.

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Narrative Summary

The plot is driven by a deeply personal inciting incident that transforms the protagonist from a grieving relative into an amateur investigator. As they dig deeper, the initial mystery expands into something larger and more sinister, putting them in direct conflict with powerful adversaries and forcing them to confront painful truths about their loved one.

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This thread groups films where the investigative plot is fueled by intimate, emotional stakes. The combination of a personal vendetta with a larger mystery creates a compelling narrative engine, ensuring the viewer is invested in both the emotional journey of the protagonist and the unraveling of the plot.

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Characters, Settings & Themes in The President’s Mistress

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