A young CIA targeter, Lena Asayran, connects a 2007 attack on US forces in Iraq to the CIA's greatest adversary, Imad Mughniyeh. Lena manipulates a defector from Iran into revealing the murky origins of Imad's rise at 19 years old. In 1983, CIA officer Robert Ames believes he can force Israel to withdraw and implement a regional peace plan. But young Imad senses an opportunity and plans the first suicide bombing in the Middle East. Ames' optimistic vision clashes with Imad's determination to remake the Middle East.

Two decades after his emergence, Imad Mughniyeh is weary of his life in the shadows. Imad has his men kidnap US soldiers in Iraq, but their failed escape draws the attention of Lena Asayran. The head of Mossad, Meir Dagan orders his best officer, Teddy, to contact Lena to persuade the CIA to help kill Mughniyeh. Imad falls for a businesswoman in Damascus, and the family drama that unfolds creates an unprecedented opportunity for Lena and Teddy to identify Imad for the first time in 25 years.