When a mysterious heiress asks famed but unscrupulous art appraiser and auctioneer Virgil Oldman to evaluate her late parents' collection yet remains forever unseen behind closed doors, it ignites a spark of curiosity in the normally austere Virgil that soon grows into an all-out obsession. Before long everything in Virgil's carefully constructed life threatens to come apart as he delves ever further into the world of intrigue surrounding his enigmatic...

A young boy in a small Italian village is befriended by the projectionist at the movie theater, the Cinema Paradiso. As the boy grows up, he learns to love films, and is encouraged by his good friend to pursue his dream of one day making movies.