Eastern Promises - Plot

Plot

Anna Khitrova (Naomi Watts), a British-Russian midwife at a London hospital, finds a Russian-language diary on the body of Tatiana, a 14-year-old girl who dies in childbirth. She also finds a card for the Trans-Siberian restaurant, which is owned by Semyon (Armin Mueller-Stahl), an old vor in the Russian Mafia. Anna thus sets out to track down the girl's family so that she can find a home for the baby girl, having meetings with Semyon who she initially regards as friendly. Anna's mother Helen (Sinéad Cusack) does not discourage her, but Anna's Ukrainian uncle and self-described former KGB officer, Stepan (Jerzy Skolimowski), whom Anna asks for help with the translation of the diary, urges caution. Through translation of the diary, Anna comes to learn that Semyon and his unstable son Kirill (Vincent Cassel), had abused the girl, addicted her to heroin, forced her into prostitution and raped her. Ultimately Anna realises that the baby was fathered by Semyon.

Semyon's driver is Nikolai Luzhin (Viggo Mortensen), who also serves as the family cleaner, dumping murdered bodies in the River Thames. Through Nikolai, Semyon, fearing prosecution, promises to give the location of the girl's family to Anna if she hands back the diary. Nikolai takes the diary but does not give a location, instead later urging Anna to keep the baby in the UK as the girl's home is a bad village to grow up in. Semyon distrusts Anna's uncle Stepan due to his former position and ethnicity, ordering a hit on him. Nikolai accepts and soon Stepan goes missing. As Nikolai's star rises within the vory, an impressed Semyon sponsors him as a full member, with the appropriate tattoos, due in part to Nikolai's protection of Semyon's incompetent son who authorized a hit on a rival Chechen vory leader with the help of a Kurdish associate, Azim. The hit was not approved by Semyon and was ill-advised as the Chechen gang soon arrive to London seeking vengeance and kill Azim's nephew who had also been involved in the hit. Semyon hatches a plan to trick Nikolai into temporarily taking Kirill's place during a meeting at the baths with Azim. The Chechens attack, thinking Nikolai is Kirill, but Nikolai kills them both and ends up in hospital with severe wounds as a result.

It is then revealed that Nikolai is actually an FSB agent who has infiltrated the gang, working under license by the British Government and a Senior Officer (Rhodri Wyn Miles). As part of his undercover duties, Nikolai was able to read Tatiana's diary before Semyon had it destroyed and hatched a plan to have Semyon arrested for statutory rape, with a paternity test of the Tatiana's baby as evidence. Stepan is also safe, hiding in a 5-star hotel in Edinburgh for protection. Semyon orders Kirill to kidnap the baby girl and kill her but as Kirill sits by the Thames, almost unable to throw the little girl into the river, Nikolai and Anna find him and persuade him to give the baby back. Nikolai and Kirill embrace as Nikolai tells him that his father is finished and they are now the bosses. Nikolai and Anna then kiss as they part for the last time. Nikolai succeeds Semyon's place as boss of the organization and Anna gains custody of Tatiana's baby, whom she raises as Christine.