讲述了1920年代英国海滨小镇的一桩荒诞新闻，当地伊迪丝·斯旺和爱尔兰移民罗斯是邻居，当伊迪丝和其他居民开始收到匿名信件时，罗斯被认为是始作俑者。然而，当以警官格拉迪斯·莫斯为首的镇上妇女们开始自行调查这起事件时，她们注意到事情有些不对劲，罗斯可能根本不是罪魁祸首。

　　From the Louis Hemon novel "M. Ripois and His Nemesis" about Andre Ripois, a philanderer in pursuit of love and riches from Paris to London. Andre is breaking up with his wife, Catherine, over his attentions to her best friend Patricia. While Catherine is out arranging the divorce, Andre, just to keep in practice, hits on the girl upstairs, Diana and then turns his attention back to Patricia, who he tricks into having dinner at his flat on the pretext that Catherine will be there. When he cannot make any progress with her via his usual tactics, he tries to arouse her pity be telling her of his past. In his early, impoverished days in London, he made love to his boss Anne but her dreadful cooking drove him away. Next came Norah who he picked up on a bus and took to his flat and told her about his make-believe inheritance, but she insisted on marriage first, which was not in his plans. Marcelle, a French woman living in Soho, put him on his feet with money, and he repaid her by stealing fifty pounds and running off. He met the wealthy Catherine at his flat where she came to be tutored in French lessons, and ended up marrying him. But, even at his wedding, he had eyes only for Patricia and, he tells her she is his one true love.

　　在五十年代的冷战期，非美活动调查委员会，用各种方法追查美国电影圈的共党同路人，并逼迫电影人出卖别人的姓名，不合作者就不断阻挠他的工作机会，最后发生了著名的十君子事件。本片就是根据这个历史事件拍摄而成。罗伯特·德尼洛饰演好莱坞名导演大卫·梅瑞尔，他在强大压力下仍不肯背叛朋友提供名单，呼应他的是名导演马丁·斯科塞斯饰演的另一位导演乔，他因不肯向非美委员会屈服而选择了流浪生活。