Nikolai 'Kolya' Rodchenko, a ballet star (Mikhail Baryshnikov) who has defected from the Soviet Union to the West, finds himself unexpectedly back in the Soviet Union as a result of his airplane crash-landing in Siberia. Meanwhile, Raymond Greenwood (Gregory Hines), a Harlem-born and bred professional dancer, disenchanted with America after his Vietnam experiences, defects to the Soviet Union. The K.G.B. blackmails the American defector to spy on Baryshnikov and to persuade him to recant and return to Leningrad's Kirov Ballet Company. However, an unexpected friendship grows between the two defectors. However, can Nikolai really trust Raymond?