Ethan Hunt (Cruise) is an agent who serves as a point man on a squad of intelligence operatives known as IMF, which is headed by Jim Phelps (Jon Voight). The movie begins with the team assembling for a mission in Prague to stop a traitor from stealing the Non-official cover (NOC) list?a comprehensive list of all IMF agents in Eastern Europe which includes their call signs and their real names. The mission goes inexplicably wrong, apparently resulting in the assassinations of nearly the entire team, including Phelps, leaving Hunt the sole survivor.