Plot Synopsis

Based on the book "Circle of Treason: A CIA Account of Traitor Aldrich Ames and the Men He Betrayed," THE ASSETS is an eight-episode limited series. Taking place in the final years of the Cold War, this series follows CIA counter-intelligence officer Sandy Grimes and her partner, Jeanne Vertefeuille, who vowed to find Aldrich Ames, the mole who would turn out to be the most notorious and dangerous traitor inside the CIA. Sandy is in a race against time to save the Soviet intelligence officers from being caught and killed. Living her own double life at home, this wife and mother vowed to stop at nothing until she uncovered the truth, which took nearly a decade after a CIA was first sent scrambling in 1985 when a rendezvous with a prized asset went horribly awry. Then, the CIA scored a major break when Vitaly Yurchenko, a high-ranking KGB officer, defected to the United States. Assigned as the lead in the debriefing, Ames engaged in a verbal cat-and-mouse game to determine whether he was in danger of being ratted out. Ames considered taking drastic measures when Yurchenko revealed that he knew of a mole in the CIA, but instead took an opportunity to develop an unlikely bond with Yurchenko during a later trip to Canada. Meanwhile, Sandy fretted over the safety of a beloved and esteemed asset, General Dmitri Polyakov, while trying to prove that he was attempting to establish contact with the CIA.
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ABC pulled THE ASSETS from its schedule after only two episodes, but the network brought the series back almost six months later during the summer, airing new episodes on Saturdays at 9pm ET/PT, starting on June 21, 2014. In the first episode back, "Trip to Vienna," the CIA and FBI mobilize to bring the brilliant Edward Lee Howard to justice after Yurchenko's shocking disclosure. Despite Howard being fingered as the mole, Sandy remains concerned about potential agency leaks and works tirelessly to prove that her asset, General Polyakov, is attempting to establish contact with the CIA. With the rest of the CIA distracted by bigger matters, Ames develops an unlikely bond with Yurchenko during a trip to Canada. The series concluded on Sunday, August 3, 2014, as ABC aired back-to-back new episodes from 1-3pm, 4-6pm, or 5-7pm ET/PT in most markets (check local listings).