The player takes the role of Sergeant Gary "Roach" Sanderson. "Roach" will be under the command of Sergeant "Soap" MacTavish, who will return, being now a captain in the Special Air Service. MacTavish will lead an elite commando unit to counter the rise of a new Russian terrorist group, led by Vladimir Makarov, a former pupil of Imran Zakhaev, the antagonist of the previous game in the series.The story begins in Afghanistan, where the soldier Joseph Allen, of the U.S. Army Rangers, cooperate in making a city that was in Afghan hands of militants. Impressed, the general soldier recruits Allen Shepherd as a CIA agent, infiltrating the organization of an alleged terrorist Makarov.Meanwhile, Captain Mac Tavish and Roach, infiltrate a Russian air base, to recover a lost ACS module. Makarov, however, is a step forward; kills Allen, and exposes his American identity, making him a scapegoat, linking to a brutal terrorist attack at the airport "Imran Zakhaev" in Russia.Enraged by what they believe was a terrorist attack supported by Nortemericanos, Russia deploys a surprise invasion of the territory of the United States east coast. James Ramirez and the U.S. Army Rangers are called to defend the city of Washington DC the Russian attack.Meanwhile, Task Force 141 is working to apprehend Makarov. They travel to Rio de Janeiro in pursuit of one of your contacts, a Brazilian named Rojas suspected militants, but in the favelas around turns out to be dead ends. As a result, Soap is assigned to rescue one of the most hated enemies Makarov from a Russian prison and use it as bait to lure. With the assistance of the SEALs and Marines, Task Force 141 frees the prisoner, who is later identified as John Price, a former captain of Soap and deceased in CoD4. Price agree to cooperate in locating Makarov, but he knows they will have to do something so extreme to end the war. Temporarily in charge of preparing to hijack a Russian nuclear submarine, from which terrorists launch an ICBM on the city of Washington DC However, Price makes warheads explode in the upper atmosphere which results in the destruction of the ISS, but Washington is saved.The resulting electromagnetic pulse taken by surprise the U.S. and Russian forces in the city.Then, Ramirez and his team discover that the U.S. Air Force will take the case into his hands by launching a bombardment of the city. The only way to abort the operation is to deploy green flares on the roof of the White House that is under Russian control. Ramirez and his team struggle to reach the said place, arriving there with sparklers in hand and shaking with hands raised, which meant that the city was still firmly in American hands.Even with the present conflict, Makarov was released. Special forces find that their location is limited to two specific places. The Task Force 141 decide to separate. Soap and Price are directed to a cemetery of aircraft in Afghanistan, while Roach and Ghost Makarov pursue the trail to a shelter in the mountains of the Caucasus. They finally get inside information that they will capture Makarov. However, General Shepherd betrays them, shoot them a Ghost and Roach, who lose their lives being burned. The Shepherd is to take advantage of the global crisis to become a hero, and write or define the course of history the way he considers appropriate in selfishness. Meanwhile, Price and Soap escaped the ambush Sheperd, and decide to get back at him, holding a final suicide mission. Following a dramatic chase and a brutal fistfight, kill Soap Shepherd does, but he and Price were seriously injured in the process. Nikolai then goes to the place of the outcome, both of them out there. Nikolai Price alerts that they will be classified as international fugitives for what they have done, but Nikolai insists that he knows a safe place to take them.
