In the 1920s Amsterdam art scene, talented painter Han van Meegeren falls into a passionate, reckless extramarital affair with Jólanka Lakatos, a beautiful stage actress. The relationship turns ruinous when Han discovers she is the wife of Abraham Bredius, the most powerful and ruthless art critic of the day. Driven by jealousy and revenge, Bredius uses his influence to publicly destroy Han’s career, causing Han’s own wife and son to abandon him. Spiraling into isolation, Han devises an intricate plot of vengeance: he moves away to masterfully forge a "newly discovered" Johannes Vermeer masterpiece specifically designed to fool Bredius's eye, forcing him to choose between devastating his enemy or reclaiming the love of his life.