The Recruit is back on Netflix and Owen Hendricks (Noah Centineo) is headed on a covert mission to South Korea. His new assignment is helping a Korean National Intelligence Service (NIS) agent find his kidnapped wife. The agent, named Jang Kyun (played by Teo Yoo), will stop at nothing to rescue his spouse from a seemingly randomized kidnapping. However, he soon learns that she was abducted by the fictional Yakuza mob because he used her non-profit organisation to cover up a cryptocurrency conspiracy, that was partly sanctioned by the CIA and NIS.

In the penultimate episode of season two, it is revealed that Jang Kyun's wife, Nan Hee (Sanghee Le), is being held in Russia. The final episode follows the agents' rescue mission, which starts with Owen borrowing a boat from his childhood friend, Yoo Jin (Shin Do-hyun). As they set out on Russian waters, they are stopped by the coast guard who question their motives for entering the country. Jang Kyun and Yoo Jin persuade the guardsmen that they are there for fishing and bribe them to cross the border with ease. Meanwhile, Owen and Lester (Colton Dunn) are hiding in the boat.

While everything is going to plan out at sea, Nichka (Maddie Hasson) calls the agents to inform them that Nan Hee is alive but the compound she is being held at is fortified and too dangerous for them to break into. Owen then hatches a plan to lure the Yakuza onto the water, under the pretence that a kidnap and ransom insurance company wants to pay for Nan Hee's release. In episode four, Owen and Jang Kyun met with the Yakuza to discuss the price of the victim's ransom. Unfortunately, they did not accept Owen's $1 million offer. Instead, the mob requested $10 million for her freedom.

Unlike the first meeting, which they approached sincerely, Owen and Jang Kyun plot take a new approach to the deal. They plot for Dawn (Angel Parker), Dodge (Jesse Collin) and Lester to attack the ship and free the hostage before the transaction is complete. Elsewhere, the CIA is formulating a plan to pin the entire mission on Owen. Although the agency green lit the assignment, it is riddled with legal issues and they believe that it will end in mass casualties, which is why they must prepare to protect their reputation.

The mission turns sour when the Yakuza meet with Owen and Jang Kyun. Although their forces are depleted, Dawn and Lester see another boat with armed agents approaching the main vessel. This leads them to abandoning Owen and Jang Kyun, fearing that it will not end well. Lester explains the plan to abort the plan to Yoo Jin, saying: "We can't get into a firefight in front of the Russians. We'll be KIA [killed in action] , or worse, captured alive, tried for espionage and tortured for the rest of our lives.".

Aboard the Yakuza ship, the mob opens the briefcase and find no money inside, leading to Jang Kyun getting abducted alongside his wife. On the other hand, Owen escapes by jumping into the water and swimming away from the Yakuza henchmen shooting at him. He survives the attack and decides to swim back to the boat and attempt a new rescue mission. Following his escape, he breaks into a houseboat and brutally murders one of the boat owners and ties up the other; Nichka later kills the living boat owner.

Once he is safe, Owen calls Dawn and Lester to let them know he is continuing the rescue mission, with or without their help. The other agents are outraged by his plan, so they send Nichka to rescue the lawyer from the sea. However, they are unaware that she is a double agent for the FSB (Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation), who have requested her to hand Owen and Jang Kyun over to them for a price.

Nichka tries to kidnap Owen by holding him at gunpoint, but he fights back and escapes. The lawyer locates Jang Kyun and Nan Hee and rescues them. The trio then find a car and drive away. But Nichka starts shooting at them, intending to keep her deal of delivering Owen to the KSB. The runaway car is damaged by the gunshots, forcing the fugitives to escape to the water. Yoo Jin’s boat soon finds them and they jump onboard. It's not smooth sailing just yet, as the coastguard starts pursuing and shooting at the agents' vessel.

Just as their fate begins to look bleak, a US Navy submarine ascends to the surface, scaring away the ensuing coast guard and marking the agents safe. After the successful assignment, Owen unofficially recruits Jang Kyun to join the CIA. While the Korean spy is initially hesitant, he is quickly convinced when Owen says: "You wanna live happily ever after with your wife or go back to Korea and get locked up for treason.".