Character Relationship Map: Spy Games

Characters

• Harry Howe / Ernie Halliday (played by Bill Pullman) — protagonist

  Harry is a seasoned CIA agent living in Helsinki under the cover identity of a jazz club owner. He hopes to leave his past behind and build a life with Natasha, the SVR agent originally assigned to sp...

• Natasha Scriabina / Anna Belinka (played by Irène Jacob) — protagonist

  Natasha is a young, ambitious SVR agent assigned to spy on Harry, but she has fallen in love with him and their assignment becomes a torrid affair. Amid the uncertainty facing her agency and the new R...

• Dave Preston (played by Glenn Plummer) — supporting

  Dave is a young, over-zealous CIA agent who comes to Helsinki to intercept a videotape encoded with state secrets. He pursues Max, the unwitting courier carrying it, while people who come into contact...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Harry Howe / Ernie Halliday → Dave Preston (Professional CIA Colleague) — They belong to the same intelligence service, although Dave's mission disrupts Harry's private life.

  Harry is identified as a seasoned CIA agent, while Dave is identified as a young CIA agent who comes to Helsinki.

• Harry Howe / Ernie Halliday → Natasha Scriabina / Anna Belinka (Romantic Lovers) — Their romance is the emotional core of the story and is threatened by their opposing loyalties.

  Natasha was assigned to spy on Harry but fell in love with him, leading to a torrid love affair.

Story Analysis

A covert romance becomes entangled with a deadly videotape and competing hopes for escape, survival, and control.

Plot Progression

1. A Cover Life in Helsinki — Harry attempts to bury his CIA past beneath a jazz-club-owner identity. Natasha is sent to spy on him, but the assignment becomes a dangerous romance.
2. The Deadly Videotape — A videotape containing coded state secrets travels toward Helsinki through Max, a former prisoner unaware of its contents. Contact with the tape carries lethal consequences.
3. Everyone Wants an Exit — Dave arrives to intercept Max and the videotape, disrupting Harry and Natasha's life. Natasha sees the secret as a possible route out of the failing SVR and into America.
4. Love Against Intelligence — The videotape becomes the focus of competing schemes, while Harry refuses to exploit it. He concentrates on keeping Natasha alive and stopping her from leaving him.