Boris Goloubev directs the launch of a space probe that turns into a fiasco and crashes in the Algerian desert. Opposed to the Soviet army on the management of this crisis, he finds himself under house arrest. For his part, Francis is looking for a way to save Lyudmila by moving her to the West, even if it means taking big risks.
Set in 1965 in the midst of the Cold War, Totems follows a French scientist, Francis Mareuil, as he begins working as a spy. While working for the French Secret Service and the CIA, Mareuil meets Lyudmila Goloubeva, a pianist forced to work for the KGB. A romance blossoms between them but neither can be sure what is an expression of their true feelings, and what is the fruit of political shenanigans…
