A bombed city under martial law and powers on the verge of a new war gives home to deceit and uncertainty in 1948 Vienna. The city, divided among the allied powers, is also hosting the filming of The Third Man. Its star, American actor Orson Welles, spends his after-hours in the well-known Hotel Orient, soon to be disturbed by Soviet troops led by a young officer. On his mind is only one mission: how can he use the strengths and weaknesses of the great Orson to change the course of history, while in the U.S. big Hollywood names are targeted in the Red Scare initiating the McCarthy era?