Six strangers, experts in munitions, surveillance and covert operations, meet in a musty warehouse in the heart of Paris. Field soldiers during the Cold War, some hold dark secrets that could topple governments. Sam (Robert De Niro), an American, is well-versed in the language of weapons and the strategy of battle. Also present are driver Larry (Skipp Sudduth), also an American, English weapons specialist Spence (Sean Bean), Eastern Bloc electronics specialist Gregor (Stellan Skarsgard), Vincent (Jean Reno), the French coordinator, and Deirdre (Natascha McElhone), the client’s only contact.

Together, they must negotiate their way through a maze of political subterfuge and perplexing confusion that pervade the post Cold War world, in which former allegiances are often transitory and meaningless and where money reigns supreme.