Black Ops Cold War's campaign is set during the early 1980s of the Cold War, taking place between Call of Duty: Black Ops (2010) and Call of Duty: Black Ops II (2012) chronologically. It is centered around a pursuit of the alleged Soviet spy Perseus, whose stated goal is to subvert the United States and tilt the balance of power toward the Soviet Union. For the campaign, the player takes control of "Bell", who is recruited by CIA officer Russell Adler into a multinational task force created to hunt down Perseus