Ethan Hunt, an operative for the IMF (Impossible Missions Force), is part of a covert team tasked with retrieving a stolen CIA list with the codenames of undercover agents. The mission, set in Prague, goes terribly awry resulting in the death of several team members including the leader, Jim Phelps. Ethan, surviving the chaos, discovers that the mission was a setup orchestrated to root out a mole within the IMF, who is believed to be selling intelligence to an arms dealer known as "Max". Accused of being the mole and with the IMF now hunting him, Ethan sets out to clear his name and find the real traitor.

To prove his innocence, Ethan assembles a group of disavowed agents including a talented hacker and a professional pilot. Utilizing his exceptional training and intellect, Ethan devises a daring plan to meet with Max and offer the real list in exchange for the identity of the mole, code-named "Job". The group embarks on a high-stakes game of espionage and deception, which leads them back to CIA headquarters. There, they execute a complex break-in to secure the list while evading top-notch security measures, putting their lives and freedom on the line to catch the mole before he strikes again.