Based on Ian Adams’ book of the same name, Agent of Influence examines the truth surrounding the mysterious death of one of Canada’s most accomplished foreign diplomats, John Watkins.

October 1964: The Cold War is at its height. In a Montreal hotel room, John Watkins (Christopher Plummer), a close friend of Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson, is being held for questioning by the RCMP at the request of the CIA. Watkins, Canada’s former Ambassador in Moscow, fluent in Russian, is accused of being a communist spy.

In a matter of days, John Watkins is dead.

Agent of Influence is the dramatized account of the events that occurred in that hotel room. It tells the story of John Watkins and his lead interrogator, personified in the fictional character RCMP Inspector Diane Fletcher (Marina Orsini). Fletcher must confront her own ambitions and demons as she comes to realize that Watkins is innocent. She also uncovers exactly what it was that Prime Minister Pearson had to fear.

Agent of Influence is not just a revelation of a Canadian hero who has yet to be given his due recognition; it is also a reminder of the pressures brought to bear upon Canada as a nation that chose a separate path during the Russian-American Cold War.