In March 1917, amidst World War I, a sealed train carries Russian revolutionaries, led by Lenin, from Germany to St. Petersburg. Along the journey, political tensions and personal dramas unfold, culminating in a historic arrival.

Russian and British submarines with nuclear missiles on board both vanish from sight without a trace. England and Russia both blame each other as James Bond tries to solve the riddle of the disappearing ships. But the KGB also has an agent on the case.