Joe Turner, played by Robert Redford, is a CIA employee working at the American Literary Historical Society, where his role involves reading and cataloguing various texts into a database for later cross-checking with actual CIA operations. This routine day suddenly takes a dark turn when, on a rainy December morning, a quiet man in a sedan outside begins marking off the names of Joe and his colleagues as they arrive for work.
As Turner grapples with unanswered questions regarding connections he's found between international operations in Venezuela and Saudi Arabia, he heads out for lunch after a morning of waiting in vain for a response from the CIA headquarters in Langley. He discreetly exits through a basement door against protocol, and, upon his return, discovers a horrifying scene—his coworkers have all been brutally murdered. Overwhelmed with shock and urgency, Joe grabs a pistol from the receptionist's desk before bolting from the building.
Navigating a world now filled with potential threats, Joe realizes that he may be the next target. In a moment of desperation, he finds a payphone and calls the CIA, identified only by his code name, "Condor." > "The section's been hit. Everyone's dead," he struggles to convey. The agency assures him that help is on the way. However, when Joe attempts to make sense of his looming danger, he becomes increasingly paranoid and suspicious of those around him. His anxiety peaks upon returning to his apartment, only to find a co-worker murdered in bed, escalating his fear that he can trust no one.
In a twist of fate, he kidnaps Kathy, played by Faye Dunaway, whom he encounters while escaping. Initially terrified, Kathy soon senses Joe's predicament is genuine and gradually learns to connect with him, despite her own disbelief. As evening falls, Joe discovers troubling updates on the news, which misrepresent the day's events. After a tense night spent together, the following day brings new danger when the man who previously knocked on his apartment door, a mailman, returns—intent on killing Joe.
A fierce struggle ensues, during which Joe employs quick thinking and railed items in Kathy's apartment, leading to a climactic confrontation that results in the mailman's demise. With crucial evidence gained from the hitman, Joe devises a reckless plan that entails utilizing Kathy’s unsuspecting desire for a CIA job as a cover for acquiring information from his superiors.
After a series of intense and life-threatening events, including a startling revelation about the assassin Joubert](/actor/max-von-sydow), played by Max von Sydow, Joe learns that this scandal runs deep, implicating high-level CIA officials in a conspiracy to control global oil markets. Ultimately, he tracks down Atwood, the head of the operation, discovering that his findings had made him a grave threat to a significant scheme.
In a shocking yet liberating encounter, Joubert reveals that Atwood's life is forfeited as collateral damage in this deadly game of secrecy—a clean break that allows Joe to walk away with his life but a heavy heart. Back in New York, Joe confronts Director Higgins, unsettling the balance of power and agency ethics as he comes to know the consequences of the CIA's shadowy dealings.
As Joe fades into the throng of New Yorkers, Abigail cries out after him, the final exchange with Higgins reverberating in his mind, “How do you know they’ll publish? How do you know??” It's a poignant reminder of the risks inherent in uncovering the truth, leaving him to grapple with the loneliness of his newfound awareness amidst a chaotic world.
