FRONTLINE and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation go behind the latest headlines to investigate Russian leader Vladimir Putin-his remarkable ascent from unemployed spy to modern-day czar, and the persistent accusations of criminality and corruption that have accompanied that rise. Trace Putin's career back two decades to his political start in St. Petersburg, where allegations of corruption began almost immediately. The film chronicles Putin's ascent as Boris Yeltsin's chosen successor, examines his controversial ties to former German Chancellor Gerhardt Schroeder, and revisits the horrific 1999 Moscow apartment bombings - which continue to haunt the country, with unanswered questions about the role of Russian security services and Putin's complicity. From a senior police officer who tried to arrest Putin on corruption charges, to an investigator who tried to investigate the apartment bombings, to former writers and documentarians hired to burnish his reputation, Putin's Way offers key players' accounts portraying a Russian leader who began by professing hope and democracy but now is stoking nationalism, conflict, authoritarianism, and a complicated relationship with the West.