A young film buff grows up in New York, learning to obsess over the movies the way his father obsesses over art. Peter lies his way into the most prestigious acting class in the world, where he unexpectedly finds his calling as a director.

Peter meets Polly Platt, his closest creative collaborator – and soon, his young wife. The newlyweds drive across the country to break into the movie business, starting with a low-budget directing gig for Roger Corman.

Peter challenges himself to film an “unfilmable” book and creates one of the seminal movies of the 1970s: The Last Picture Show. But Peter risks losing his family after an affair with his leading lady, Cybill Shepherd.

Feeling betrayed, Orson Welles humiliates Peter on national television. So Peter heads overseas to shoot a daring new movie, filming in secret to evade government censors.

Alone for the first time, Peter finds love in an unexpected place: the Playboy Mansion. His passionate romance with Playmate Dorothy Stratten ignites his creativity, but his life is forever changed by her devastating murder.