On the 50th anniversary of the CIA, Antonio J. Mendez was named one of the 50 all-time stars of the spy trade and he was granted exclusive permission -- a CIA first -- to tell his fascinating story. An undisputed genius who could create an entirely new identity for anybody, anywhere, anytime, he combined the cunning tricks of a magician with the analytical insight of a psychologist to help hundreds of people escape potentially fatal situations. From "Wild West" adventures in East Asia to Cold War intrigue in Moscow and helping six Americans escape revolutionary Tehran in 1980, Mendez was on the scene. Here, he gives us a privileged look at what really happens in the field and behind closed doors at the highest levels of international espionage: some of it shocking, frightening, and wildly inventive -- all of it unforgettable.