Montana Badlands rancher David Brazton is a self-made man, through years of tireless effort and determination; he has transformed his vast and rugged land into a thriving, prosperous empire. So when his livestock, fortune and family are threatened by a ruthless horse thief, Braxton takes matters into his own hands by hiring a sadistic bounty hunter to track down the outlaw.

It's August. Like they have most summers, elderly widowed sisters Libby Strong and Sarah Webber, who live in Philadelphia, are staying together in the family's summer cottage on an island off the coast of Maine. There are a few people who have been half-century friends or acquaintances on the island, including Tisha Doughty and Joshua Brackett.

It is the height of the Cold War, and ex-thief Harry Palmer, now reluctantly working as a secret agent, has been called in to investigate a strange occurrence among a number of leading scientists. It seems the scientists have been kidnapped, but reappear only days after the kidnapping, brainwashed and useless. During the course of the investigation, a tape is uncovered with the word "Ipcress" on it

A narcotics officer and a corrupt cop are involved in a murder investigation in a small border town.