 Early in 1996, three Republican campaign operatives take a job in secret assisting Boris Yeltsin s reelection. Once in Moscow, they find he s polling at 6 percent with the election a few months away. While Joe Shumate wants to go home, George Gorton and Dick Dresner vote to stay. First, they must get someone s attention; they succeed finally with Yeltsin s daughter. Then it s polling, focus groups, messages and spin. Even as Yeltsin s numbers go up, the trio are unsure who hired them and whether Yeltsin s allies have a different plan in mind than election victory. When the going gets toughest, it s Gorton who puts a spin on our stake: democracy and capitalism must win.