The Two-Headed Spy

In 1939, Alex Schottland is a German Army colonel in charge of supplies who has long operated as a British agent planted since the end of World War I. He grows weary of espionage but continues at the urging of his ally Cornaz, who poses as an antique dealer. Their uneasy alliance keeps his cover intact as war looms.

Cornaz, a fellow British agent, continually urges Schottland to keep spying. He acts as a covert ally and motivator, sustaining the dangerous ruse. The two stay close despite the risks.

In 1941 Schottland passes on information that Germany is about to invade the Soviet Union. The intel marks him as a key conduit and sharpens the suspicions of others. He maintains a veneer of loyalty with his superiors.

Captain Reinisch, a Gestapo agent, discovers Schottland’s British ancestry and altered name. Schottland counters by claiming that defeatists in the General Staff have leaked information. His defense buys time and narrows the focus of scrutiny.

Cornaz’s courier is intercepted, and Schottland is summoned for questioning. Gestapo officer Müller tortures Cornaz, but the brutality ends with Cornaz’s death. The loss deprives Schottland of a key incriminating source.

Schottland is arrested but released after Ernst Kaltenbrunner intervenes, convinced by his apparent sincerity. The episode strengthens Schottland’s camouflage as a loyal officer. Kaltenbrunner’s involvement keeps him in the game.

Lili Geyr, an attractive singer, replaces Cornaz as the British relay for military information. Schottland pretends to have an affair with her to mask ongoing leaks. Reinisch becomes infatuated with Geyr, adding personal tension to the loyalties involved.

Schottland hopes to pass on news of the Bulge breakout, but Geyr no longer has a reliable channel to Britain. The communications breakdown blocks the crucial warning. The failure forces Schottland to seek other ways to influence events.

Ordered to the front, Schottland drives off the main road and attempts to contact the Allies via a radio transmitter. He is forced to shoot a corporal who interrupts him, then returns to Berlin. There he begins plotting to sabotage the war effort by manipulating Hitler’s perceptions.

Schottland plays to Hitler’s vanity, nudging the Führer toward strategic missteps. The ruse appears to work, slowing German momentum and diverting attention from true weaknesses. His deception accelerates the internal clash within the Nazi command.

Schottland sends Geyr to cross behind Allied lines with plans for a postwar reunion. Reinisch intercepts her and shoots her, gaining incontrovertible evidence of Schottland’s espionage. The incriminating material now rests with the Gestapo’s enemies as the net tightens.

Reinisch confronts Schottland at his home the following morning; a struggle over a dropped gun ends with Reinisch dead and Schottland on the brink of exposure. He then seeks an audience with Hitler, accusing defeatists and turning the spotlight on Müller, who is arrested. The German crackdown intensifies as the war nears its end.

Camouflaged troops pursue Schottland along the autobahn; when they reveal themselves as British, his tense relief becomes a smile of triumph. He is captured and transported toward Allied control as the war concludes. His fate shifts from risk to guarded safety.

Germany surrenders and Schottland returns to London, where he is saluted as a veteran spy. He finally envisions reuniting with Geyr at The Fiddlers Three, the London pub they planned to meet after the war. The long, dangerous alliance culminates in peacetime.