Between the end of MW1 and the beginning of MW2, Captain Price is captured, and as a result put into the gulag.
Opening of MW2, you meet TF 141, complete SSDD, and go onto the airport sequence. You play as "roach" for the majority of MW2
During the airport sequence, you play as a CIA agent trying to infiltrate makarov's ranks. You are killed, and the USA is blamed for the airport massacre, thus prompting Russia to invade the states.
You then switch over to a USA Ranger, and work from FT Bragg all the way to DC, fighting from house to house to rout the russians. You defend the capital, and as evacuation starts, your helicopter is shot down by a sam site.
You then switch back over to roach, where you work on freeing an unnamed prisoner, who is actually CAPT. Price. You find price, and open a hole into soviet Russia for American and British forces. After freeing price, price launches a missile at the US to create an airburst EMP, destroying all US and soviet non-emp hardened equipment, potentially saving the states from all out losses on the eastern seaboard.
The US general is given a blank check and intends to level DC in order to stop the invasion, you, as an army ranger, save the white house and the majority of DC from total annihilation.
After finding Makarov's playbook, General Shepard betrays ghost (voiced by gaz) and roach, and all members of TF 141 at makarov's safehouse in an attempt for glory.
Price and Soap survive the attempt while in afghanistan, and chase down price using info from makarov.
Price and soap, being the tough bastards they are, manage to defeat US DEVGRU forces defending shepards location, and shoot down shepards evac helo while on a boat with a 40mike mike.
In a twist, soap chases down shepard, but shepard turns soaps knife against him, wounding him. Price saves soap from execution, and in an epic maneuver, soap pulls the knife out of his chest, and hits shepard in the head. Soap and Price are saved by Nikolai using a DEVGRU little bird, and escape, leading the player into the IW Art Gallery, to start spec ops mode.