Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is an agent of an Impossible Missions Force (IMF) team, an unofficial branch of the CIA, led by Jim Phelps (Jon Voight). The team assembles for a mission in Prague to prevent an American diplomat from selling the Non-official cover (NOC) list - a comprehensive list of all covert agents in Eastern Europe. The mission goes inextricably wrong, resulting in the deaths of the entire team, leaving Hunt the sole survivor. Fleeing the scene, Hunt meets with Eugene Kittridge (Henry Czerny), the CIA-based director of the IMF, at a café. Hunt, very much in shock, is disturbed to learn from Kittridge that a mole, codenamed Job, has infiltrated the IMF, and that the Prague operation was meant to ferret Job out by allowing him to acquire the NOC list and attempt to sell it to Max, an illegal arms dealer known for corrupting IMF agents. The NOC list in Prague was fake, the real list being held in CIA headquarters in Virginia. With Hunt the sole survivor, the CIA believes he is the mole. Hunt realizes this, and mounts a daring escape from the café, fleeing into Prague.
Ethan returns to the IMF safe house, where he discovers fellow IMF agent Claire Phelps (Emmanuelle Béart), Jim Phelps's wife, actually survived the mission. Ethan begins correspondence with "Max" (Vanessa Redgrave), explaining that the NOC list was a fake and offering to deliver the real NOC list in exchange for the identity of the mole. Max agrees to the deal and offers Ethan a cash advance, which Ethan uses to assemble a team of blacklisted or disavowed intelligence agents, including computer expert Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) and pilot Franz Krieger (Jean Reno). The new team infiltrates the heavily fortified headquarters of the CIA in Langley and successfully steals a copy of the full NOC list before escaping to a safe house in London. Once there, Hunt discovers that his uncle and mother have been falsely arrested for drug trafficking in an attempt to lure him out. This infuriates Hunt, and he contacts Kittridge, who offers to drop the false charges the moment Hunt surrenders to authorities. Hunt hangs up, after allowing Kittridge to trace him to the London area, turns around and walks right into Jim Phelps.
Phelps, presumed dead in the Prague operation, reveals that Kittridge is the mole and is tying up loose ends by trying to apprehend Hunt. Hunt reflects on this, while in reality piecing together the clues he discovered leading up to his operation and realizes that Phelps is the mole, Job. Hunt pretends to accept the story while being uncertain about Claire's place in the conspiracy. The next day, Max and Ethan arrange to meet aboard the TGV en route to Paris, with Claire and Luther aboard to provide backup. Kittridge is also aboard, having recently arrived in London and received tickets for the TGV and a video watch from Hunt. In the train, Ethan delivers the supposed NOC list to Max, who directs him to the luggage compartment to find his money, and Job. Max then attempts to transmit the NOC list to a server, an operation hindered by Luther, who activates a jamming device to prevent the upload. Claire, observing Kittridge's presence aboard the train, vacates her seat and meets with Phelps in the luggage car, confirming her part in the conspiracy. A silent "Phelps" slowly peels away his mask, revealing himself as Ethan. Suddenly, the real Phelps appears, armed and demanding the NOC list money. Ethan surrenders it before pulling out a pair of glasses. He slides them over his eyes, activating the camera inside and transmitting Phelps's image to Kittridge, proving beyond doubt that Phelps is still alive.
Phelps, now revealed as the traitor, shoots Claire in anger when she speaks against killing Ethan. He then subdues Ethan before escaping to the roof of the train, where Krieger, also a traitor, waits to extract him with a helicopter. Ethan recovers and follows Phelps, impeding his efforts to escape and tethering Krieger's helicopter to the train as it heads into the Channel Tunnel. The fight continues, with the helicopter now following the train inside the tunnel. The two fight atop the wind-swept train before Phelps disconnects the helicopter from the train and attempts to escape. Ethan follows, leaping onto the helicopter's landing skids and attaching explosive gum to the windshield. The ensuing explosion kills Phelps and Krieger, with Ethan narrowly escaping. Kittridge, now in possession of the NOC list and Max's true identity, reinstates Luther as an IMF agent and drops his investigation against Ethan, who resigns from the IMF. As Ethan flies home, a flight attendant approaches him and through a coded phrase asks if he's ready for another mission.
Ethan returns to the IMF safe house, where he discovers fellow IMF agent Claire Phelps (Emmanuelle Béart), Jim Phelps's wife, actually survived the mission. Ethan begins correspondence with "Max" (Vanessa Redgrave), explaining that the NOC list was a fake and offering to deliver the real NOC list in exchange for the identity of the mole. Max agrees to the deal and offers Ethan a cash advance, which Ethan uses to assemble a team of blacklisted or disavowed intelligence agents, including computer expert Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) and pilot Franz Krieger (Jean Reno). The new team infiltrates the heavily fortified headquarters of the CIA in Langley and successfully steals a copy of the full NOC list before escaping to a safe house in London. Once there, Hunt discovers that his uncle and mother have been falsely arrested for drug trafficking in an attempt to lure him out. This infuriates Hunt, and he contacts Kittridge, who offers to drop the false charges the moment Hunt surrenders to authorities. Hunt hangs up, after allowing Kittridge to trace him to the London area, turns around and walks right into Jim Phelps.
Phelps, presumed dead in the Prague operation, reveals that Kittridge is the mole and is tying up loose ends by trying to apprehend Hunt. Hunt reflects on this, while in reality piecing together the clues he discovered leading up to his operation and realizes that Phelps is the mole, Job. Hunt pretends to accept the story while being uncertain about Claire's place in the conspiracy. The next day, Max and Ethan arrange to meet aboard the TGV en route to Paris, with Claire and Luther aboard to provide backup. Kittridge is also aboard, having recently arrived in London and received tickets for the TGV and a video watch from Hunt. In the train, Ethan delivers the supposed NOC list to Max, who directs him to the luggage compartment to find his money, and Job. Max then attempts to transmit the NOC list to a server, an operation hindered by Luther, who activates a jamming device to prevent the upload. Claire, observing Kittridge's presence aboard the train, vacates her seat and meets with Phelps in the luggage car, confirming her part in the conspiracy. A silent "Phelps" slowly peels away his mask, revealing himself as Ethan. Suddenly, the real Phelps appears, armed and demanding the NOC list money. Ethan surrenders it before pulling out a pair of glasses. He slides them over his eyes, activating the camera inside and transmitting Phelps's image to Kittridge, proving beyond doubt that Phelps is still alive.
Phelps, now revealed as the traitor, shoots Claire in anger when she speaks against killing Ethan. He then subdues Ethan before escaping to the roof of the train, where Krieger, also a traitor, waits to extract him with a helicopter. Ethan recovers and follows Phelps, impeding his efforts to escape and tethering Krieger's helicopter to the train as it heads into the Channel Tunnel. The fight continues, with the helicopter now following the train inside the tunnel. The two fight atop the wind-swept train before Phelps disconnects the helicopter from the train and attempts to escape. Ethan follows, leaping onto the helicopter's landing skids and attaching explosive gum to the windshield. The ensuing explosion kills Phelps and Krieger, with Ethan narrowly escaping. Kittridge, now in possession of the NOC list and Max's true identity, reinstates Luther as an IMF agent and drops his investigation against Ethan, who resigns from the IMF. As Ethan flies home, a flight attendant approaches him and through a coded phrase asks if he's ready for another mission.
