In the turbulent aftermath of the 1929 stock market crash, the wealthy and idealistic Lanny Budd finds his socialist sympathies growing, causing deep friction with his capitalist heiress wife, Irma. When Lanny travels to Germany to visit relatives in the 1930s, he is confronted by a terrifyingly transformed society steeped in jingoism, paranoia, and hatred.

As the Nazi Party gains power, Lanny is thrust into the very heart of the looming global conflict. His gravest fear is the deadly threat the new regime poses to the German-Jewish family of Hansi, the musician husband of Lanny's sister, Bess. Forced to risk his fortune, his future, and his own life, Lanny embarks on a desperate and courageous mission to rescue his loved ones from a terrible fate.