With inter-twining stories detalining the unscrupulous rules that govern foreign espionage after the Cold War, TRADE ROUTES is a brazen look at current international politics and American foreign policy. Set against an Eastern European nation's election, in a country that a few short years ago was the most notorious communist dictatorship, the film charts the paths of five characters; An aging CIA officer relegated to an outpost due to his scandalous connections to rendition and torture; A young attractive economic advisor who seeks out the toughest assignment to proof her worth, as an economic advisor at the US Bulgarian embassy; The ambitious Bulgarian Prime Minister's chief of staff - facing a tough re-election; An American political consultant "hired to fix" the prime minister's election; and a retired member of the Bulgarian Communist State Police... these five character destinies intertwine in the weeks leading up to the elections in a fledgling democracy, exposing the human costs of political power-brokering, through the secret exchanges between nations.