A promising young artist, Max Rothman (John Cusack) lost his arm in the Great War and with it his ability to paint. Upon his return he opens what quickly becomes an acclaimed art gallery catering to modernism. There he runs into another war veteran and struggling artist named Adolf Hitler. Max encourages Adolf to develop his talent and channel his raw beliefs into his art. Penniless and without family or friends, the lure of politics soon wins Adolf's interest over art, setting into motion the most cataclysmic period in the 20th Century.