French secret service agent Irene (Juliette Binoche) is as comfortable speaking in English or Arabic as she is with handling a gun. Her latest mission is helping Elliot (Nick Nolte), a former co-worker turned spy; see his grown children one last time before dropping out of sight forever.

When a Paris rendez-vous goes wrong, Irene travels to Venice with Elliot's children - daughter Orlando, who has a chip on her pretty French shoulders and a gun in her pocket, and adopted American son, David, who has no clue what he has gotten himself into. As they travel from Paris to Venice, Irene discovers they aren't the only ones trying to reach the elusive Elliot. Only one step behind them is William Pound (John Turturro), a bizarre hit man who makes constant calls to his psychoanalyst. Before long, Irene discovers Elliot's connections to the international banking world and his piece of information so crucial to the events to come....