The year is 1924 and billionaire publisher William Randolph Hearst (Edward Hermann) has arranged a birthday cruise aboard his yacht, Oneida, for financially distressed film pioneer Thomas H. Ince (Cary Elwes). But trouble is in the air, for among the guests is Charlie Chaplin (Eddie Izzard), who intends to steal Hearst’s mistress, the actress Marion Davies (Kirsten Dunst), right from under his nose.