Recently arrived in London in the hope of writing one last book before succumbing to a fatal illness, American author Samson Young (Billy Bob Thornton) falls in with a cast of characters who just might give him the story he is looking for. First, there is Keith Talent (Jim Sturgess) a small- time crook and dart player always on the lookout for his next scam. Then there's Guy Clinch (Theo James), an upper class banker who hangs out at Ned's favorite pub, searching for distraction from his boring life, his spoiled wife, and their monstrous toddler. And, just like a scene from a movie, into their lives walks Nicola Six (Amber Heard), a spectacularly beautiful woman-of-mystery who instantly ensnares all three men with her charms. Of course, Ned and Keith want to possess her, but Sam sees something else-in Nicola he sees the heroine of the book he so desperately wants to write. Following her, studying her, and watching her become a different woman depending upon which man she is seducing, Sam starts weaving a tale, based on Nicola, or Nicola as he imagines her to be. He also discovers that the reason she lives like there's no tomorrow, is that she's fed up with her life and has secretly been plotting her own murder. Now that Sam knows the climax of his story, the only question is who will the murderer be? Is it Keith, the criminal, Guy, the millionaire, or is it Sam himself-a dying man practicing a dying art, who will do anything to end his book-and his life-with a big bang?