In Los Angeles, California, seminary student Christopher “Chris” Boyce visits his friend, Daulton Lee, and announces that he no longer wants to be a priest. Back home, Chris’s father, a retired Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) agent named Charlie, secures his son a job in the mailroom of a company called “RTX.” Soon, Chris is noticed by upper management, and executive Larry Rogers calls him into his office. Explaining a top secret project at RTX, managing covert surveillance satellites for the Department of Defense and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Rogers recruits Chris to oversee the enterprise. He warns Chris not to discuss his new position with anyone. Chris receives a warm reception by his new co-workers, Gene and Laurie, who welcome him with margaritas. Outside work, Chris remains friends with Daulton, who offers him a partnership in a Mexican drug-transporting scheme, but Chris declines. Back at work, Chris receives a message in error, meant directly for the CIA. When he asks Laurie about it, she explains that transmission mistakes happen frequently, and advises Chris to forget what he read. However, Chris is disturbed by information that the CIA is manipulating an impending labor strike in Australia. At home, Chris argues with his overbearing father and moves out. Later, Chris steals one of the CIA transmissions and shows it to Daulton, explaining the CIA’s role in orchestrating insurrections in foreign countries. Daulton suggests he publicize his findings, but Chris decides that the information is valuable, and asks his friend to take the CIA transmissions to Mexico and search for an interested buyer at one of the foreign embassies. However, Daulton sees this action as unpatriotic, and refuses to participate. In time, Daulton is arrested in a drug bust, and asked to wear a wire for the police in lieu of imprisonment. Displeased at being an informant, Daulton later returns to Chris and agrees to be a courier, then takes the CIA transmissions to the Russian Embassy in Mexico City, Mexico. Immediately, he connects with a Russian named Alex, and the two work out a system of exchanging payments and information. Meanwhile, back in the U.S., Chris buys supplies for his pet falcon, “Fox,” and meets a girl named Lana, who eventually becomes his girl friend. Daulton later returns to Los Angeles and tells Chris about the deal he made with the Russians, but Chris warns his friend there is a warrant out for his arrest. Back in Mexico City, Daulton meets with Russian buyers, who make last minute changes in their meeting locale. When Daulton protests, they request photographs of the secret documents instead of Xerox copies. Back in the U.S., Daulton throws a party, and flaunts his new spy camera, but Chris overhears him reveal their secret plan to a girl. When Chris confronts Daulton in the bathroom, he finds his friend snorting heroin. Later, Chris sends a coded message to the Russians that his courier is unreliable, and requests they find another means of exchange. When Daulton’s contacts fail to meet him, he returns to the embassy, defying their warnings that such actions could result in exposure. The Russians quickly usher Daulton out of sight and chastise him for his reckless behavior. Fearing the Russians will back out of the deal, Daulton reveals the first name of his friend, Chris, who has remained anonymous. When Daulton attempts to leave, the Russians wield their armaments. He later telephones Chris, who warns his friend to obey orders. In time, a National Security Administration (NSA) agent makes a surprise inspection, and Chris scrambles to replace the stolen documents. Although the office passes inspection, it is evident that the NSA does not trust them. Later, Chris dismisses Daulton from the project, but Daulton blackmails his friend, claiming to have copies of all the documents. Chris travels to Mexico City to observe Daulton, and the two meet with the Russian connection, Alex. As Daulton’s erratic, drug-induced behavior continues, he destroys the meeting room. After he storms away, Chris reveals he and Daulton were altar boys together, and tells Alex that he is leaving RTX to return to college. When Alex suggests he major in Russian Studies and return to work for the U.S. government, Chris is offended, and claims spying is not a long term career goal. However, Alex warns he cannot drop out so easily. Returning to Los Angeles, Chris ends his relationship with Lana, and resigns from his job, but surreptitiously photographs the last of the secret documents before he leaves. Although Chris plans to return to Mexico for one last hand off, Daulton warns of the danger involved, and offers to make the trade himself. After snorting heroin, Daulton marches to the Russain Embassy, but he is turned away. Outside, Mexican police arrest him, and a U.S. Embassy official sends help to the police station. There, Daulton learns he was wrongly arrested for murdering a police officer; he is blindfolded and sent away in a car. When Chris fails to reach his friend by telephone, he suspects Daulton has been arrested for espionage. Believing his own arrest is imminent, Chris races to the airport to flee the country. Before boarding an airplane bound for Argentina, the first available flight leaving the U.S., Chris becomes suspicious of several men watching him, and decides against leaving. Back in Mexico, Daulton is beaten and claims to be working for the CIA. Believing he is a communist, Mexican officials torture him to sign a confession, but he refuses. Later, Daulton is taken to the U.S. border for deportation, and is met by U.S. police who take him into custody. Meanwhile, Chris visits Lana, professes his love for her, and warns that the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) will be questioning her. Anticipating his own arrest, Chris releases his falcon into the wild. There, he is surrounded by several undercover officers and taken into custody, where he confesses everything. After being indicted as traitors, Daulton and Chris are handcuffed and escorted into a jail cell.