Dominika Egorova (Jennifer Lawrence) is drafted against her will to become a "sparrow" - a trained seductress in the Russian secret service. Emerging as one of the program's strongest assets, her first target is Nate Nash (Joel Edgerton), a CIA officer who handles the agency's most sensitive penetration of Russian intelligence. The two young operatives fall into a spiral of attraction and deception, which threatens their careers, allegiances, and the security of both countries.