Ludlum's 1980 novel "The Bourne Identity" is the first in the famed writer's trio of international thrillers featuring master spy Jason Bourne. In this story, an amnesiac (Damon) is rescued, near death, from the ocean by the crew of an Italian fishing boat, and finds himself being pursued by hired killers. He is completely without identity or background...but does possess a range of extraordinary talents in fighting, linguistics and self-defense that speak of a dangerous past. He sets out on a desperate search -- assisted by the initially rebellious Marie (Potente) -- to discover who he really is, and why just about everyone he encounters wants him dead.