It is the near future. Global warming has radically changed the climate and Cloning has become a reality. In this future, all citizens must carry a ‘Papelle’, a kind of insurance cover, passport and visa rolled into one that allows them access to the world’s overcrowded cities. Faking ‘Papelles’ is a major crime against the state. Seattle-based detective agent William Geld (Academy Award-winner Tim Robbins) has flown into Shanghai to investigate a set of fake ‘Papelles’ emanating from the Sphinx Insurance Agency. But William falls in love with the worker he suspects, Maria Gonzalez (Academy Award-winner Samantha Morton), and instead of reporting her, he names another employee. The case closed, he returns to his wife and son in Seattle, but is sent back to Shanghai when one of Maria’s clients dies whilst using a fake set of ‘Papelles’. Arriving in Shanghai, he discovers that Maria has left the city, and when he tracks her down, she appears to have no memory of him and the time they spent together. Risking his professional career and his marriage, William finds himself irresistibly drawn into a dangerous relationship from which he cannot escape.