The Bourne Identity

The Bourne Identity is a 1980 spy-thriller novel by American author Robert Ludlum. It is the first installment in what was initially a trilogy, followed by The Bourne Supremacy (1986) and The Bourne Ultimatum (1990). The series was continued posthumously following Ludlum’s death by authors Eric Van Lustbader and Brian Freeman, who have published 18 other Bourne novels, with a 19th scheduled to be released in 2026. Beginning in 2002, the original trilogy was turned into three popular action films with Matt Damon starring as the titular protagonist, Jason Bourne. All three films received positive reviews from critics praising Damon’s performance and their fast-paced plots, while the third film received three Academy Awards for its editing and sound.

In The Bourne Identity, Bourne is found in the Mediterranean Sea after his boat explodes. Suffering from retrograde amnesia, he is unable to remember anything about the past, including his own identity. As he experiences disconnected glimpses of memories and flashbacks, he follows clues to uncover his past, leading him into a multi-layered international conspiracy. Hunted by several government and criminal organizations including the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Bourne must piece together the clues of his identity—or die trying. Through his journey, Ludlum explores themes of The Value of Human Connection, The Psychological Cost of Deception and Secrecy, and Memory as the Foundation of Identity.

This guide refers to the mass-market paperback edition published by Bantam Books in 2016.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of graphic violence, death, child death, rape, and addiction.

Plot Summary

An unnamed man falls into the Mediterranean Sea, shot several times by an assailant on a sinking yacht. As he struggles to stay afloat in the ocean, he sees the yacht explode. He is taken by a fishing vessel to Ile Port Noir on the French coast.

Over the next several months, the man, taking the name “Jean-Pierre,” heals with the help of a man named Dr. Geoffrey Washburn. Washburn forces Jean-Pierre to undergo tests, examining his mental acuity as he recovers from damage to his brain. He tells Jean-Pierre that he may never fully recover his memories, though he will experience short flashbacks to his past. He also tells Jean-Pierre that he has likely changed his identity several times, as he found traces of contact lenses and plastic surgery to make Jean-Pierre’s facial details more ordinary. He finds a photographic negative that has been surgically embedded into Jean-Pierre’s hip, containing access information for a Swiss bank account.

Washburn finds a vessel to take Jean-Pierre to the shores of France. Once there, Jean-Pierre realizes that he has innate skills related to fighting, manipulation, and observation. He manages to have Washburn’s passport altered so that he can use it to go to Zurich, Switzerland, while acquiring money by extorting a wealthy man.

In Zurich, Jean-Pierre’s memories lead him to a hotel. He learns at the desk that his real name is Jason Bourne. Each time he is there, he receives messages from his company, Treadstone, in New York City.

Bourne goes to the bank, where he meets with the assistant manager, Apfel. Learning that he has 7.5 million francs, Bourne transfers 1.5 million to Washburn as thanks and then sends some for himself to a bank in Paris.

On the way out, Bourne is accosted by several armed men. He fights them off and then flees back to his hotel. However, before he can leave with his things, the same men enter the hotel lobby. Bourne meets a woman, Marie St. Jacques, who is attending a conference in the hotel. He uses her to enter one of the presentations and then kidnaps her and leaves out the back. After they are shot at in the parking lot, Bourne manages to escape with Marie.

Bourne instructs Marie to drive to a restaurant that he has seen in flashbacks. Inside, a man confronts him, insisting that all he did was pass on the money to Bourne. When Bourne asks what the money was for, the man tells him about a political assassination that occurred six months ago. He directs Bourne to Chernak, from whom he got the money.

Bourne goes to Chernak’s apartment to get information, but Chernak attacks him, insisting that “Carlos” wants Bourne dead. In self-defense, Bourne kills the man but is severely wounded. As he leaves with Marie, she flees. Bourne’s memories draw him to a hostel where he knows he will be able to recover.

In Steppdeckstrasse, Bourne treats his wounds and sleeps. Awoken by an attacker in his room, he manages to escape the hostel but is taken by the men from the bank outside. He sees that Marie is with them, but they refuse to let her go; instead, their leader instructs a man to take her to a park nearby and kill her. Bourne fights the men, but one of his hands is broken, and he is forced into a car.

While the car drives away from Steppdeckstrasse, Bourne manages to subdue the men. He then takes the vehicle, adamant that he needs to drive to the park to save Marie.

At the park, Bourne tracks the vehicle to the shore. He sees the man attacking and attempting to rape Marie. Bourne saves her, causing the attacker to flee, but he then loses consciousness.

The next day, Bourne wakes in a hotel. Marie tells him that she felt compelled to help him after he repeatedly tried to save her. As they get to know each other more, Marie is adamant that the information they learned about Bourne’s past as an assassin must be a lie. She insists that she is going to stay with him and help him. The two begin a romantic relationship.

A week later, Bourne and Marie travel to Paris. They are attacked while retrieving his money from the bank. Bourne speaks with the bank manager and learns that the telephone number attached to his account was recently changed to a number in Paris. Calling the number, Bourne reaches a fashion boutique called Les Classiques.

Bourne visits Les Classiques, where he meets with the manager, Lavier. He also sees a switchboard operator whom he recognizes from his past. Through Lavier, Bourne learns that Les Classiques is working with Carlos. From a number on Lavier’s desk, Bourne also learns that a former military general, André Villiers, is the direct contact for Les Classiques.

After following Villiers, Bourne learns that Villiers hates Carlos, as Carlos killed his son in a political assassination years before. While working with Villiers, Bourne learns that his wife is the one contacting Carlos.

Over the next several hours, Bourne learns the names of several employees at Les Classiques. By providing them with various information, he sends Les Classiques into panic and chaos. Eventually, Lavier goes to Villiers’s estate to speak with his wife.

At the same time, Carlos meets with an old beggar who is his informant. He tells Carlos about the chaos at Les Classique, and Carlos instructs him to abandon that line of communication and continue to track Bourne.

In Manhattan, several members of the United States government meet in the Treadstone headquarters. The location of the headquarters, a nondescript brownstone, is only known by a handful of men, as is the existence of Treadstone. The organization was created several years ago to bring down Carlos. David Abbott, its founder, took Bourne from Medusa, a covert military operation during the Vietnam War. He gave Bourne the identity of “Cain,” a ruthless assassin operating in Europe. This identity was a ruse to draw out Carlos. Now, however, they are worried that Bourne has turned against them.

After the meeting, two of Carlos’s men come to the brownstone. They kill all the members of Treadstone and then plant Bourne’s fingerprints on a glass.

In Paris, Bourne goes to Villiers’s home, where Lavier is meeting with his wife. When he gets there, he learns that they have gone to a nearby church.

At the church, Bourne sees Villiers’s wife leaving with Lavier’s purse. He also spots a priest he recognizes, certain that the man is Carlos. Before he can pursue him, an old beggar shoots at Bourne, sending the crowd outside the church into chaos. Bourne flees to the church, where he finds Lavier dead in a confessional booth.

Bourne goes to the Louvre to meet with d’Anjou, the switchboard operator from Les Classiques, but they are attacked by Carlos’s men. They flee to a nearby café, where d’Anjou gives Bourne as much information as he has. He tells Bourne about Medusa, as they were both members of the squad. He knows that Bourne killed the real Jason Bourne in Vietnam, a man who had turned against Medusa. He also knows that Bourne’s entire identity as “Cain” is fabricated; he is not truly an assassin.

When Bourne calls Villiers to update him, he learns that Villiers was overcome by anger and killed his wife. Bourne goes there and devises a plan. He will take credit for killing Villiers’s wife, which will enrage Carlos. Bourne will then lead Carlos to Manhattan, where they will have a final confrontation. He asks Villiers to ensure Marie’s safety.

In Manhattan, two men named Alexander Conklin and I. A. Crawford have taken over Treadstone. They learn that Bourne is coming to Manhattan, finally ready to make contact. They are certain that Bourne has turned against them. Conklin goes to Manhattan to wait outside the brownstone to kill Bourne.

At the same time, Marie learns of Bourne’s plans for her. However, she refuses to flee, instead contacting the embassy and then the CIA. She implores them to listen to her about Bourne’s amnesia. Although Conklin has already gone, Crawford believes her; he flies her to Manhattan to help identify Bourne and bring him in safely.

When Bourne arrives in Manhattan, he sees that a moving company is taking things from the brownstone. Masquerading as a worker, Bourne enters the brownstone. However, he is quickly attacked by Carlos. The two fight, injuring each other. Carlos flees, leaving Bourne trapped in the brownstone with the men downstairs.

Bourne fights through overwhelming flashbacks of fighting with Medusa in Vietnam. He manages to kill the men downstairs and then narrows down Carlos’s location to a single room.

Bourne uses a flare to distract Carlos, causing him to shoot and miss. He then enters the room, shooting back at Carlos. Bourne runs out of bullets, but just before Carlos kills him, they hear yelling from the hallway outside. Carlos draws the men into the room and then flees.

As Conklin enters the room, Bourne continues to fight against him. However, Conklin and Crawford assure him that they believe him now. When Marie enters the room, Bourne hears her voice and then succumbs to his injuries.

A few months later, at a cottage by the sea, Marie meets with Crawford, who assures her that he will allow Bourne to live in peace. He hopes that Bourne will willingly help the CIA capture Carlos someday, but he is prepared to wait.

A while later, Marie watches as Bourne stands in the surf on the edge of the ocean. He suddenly jumps in and then reemerges and runs up to Marie. He excitedly tells her that he has remembered his real name: David Webb.