During the 1950s, the Cold War is pitting the USA and its allies against the USSR and its satellites. One such Soviet satellite nation, Hungary, arrests an American named Anderson, and charges him with spying. Communist Hungary is putting on a show trial which is broadcast internationally, to prove the hostile aims of aggressive American Imperialists. The heavily censored news from the trial in Budapest come down the wire to the Paris office of the New York Herald-Tribune where editor-in-chief Nick Strang anxiously awaits more details from his Budapest correspondent, Barker. Nick also assigns journalist Jeanne Moray, a Frenchwoman, and the paper's top reporter, American Jimmy Race, to interview the Hungarian ambassador in Paris. Unbeknown to them, Hungarian agents clandestinely follow Jeanne and Jimmy Race to the embassy. These agents have a good reason to follow Jeanne.