Ambitious showman Stanton ‘Stan’ Carlisle (Bradley Cooper) is on the run after a stint at a roaming carnival, armed with a mind-reading act that he’s certain will make him famous. That is, until he meets local psychiatrist Lillian Ritter (Cate Blanchett). The two agree to team up to swindle Ritter’s rich clientele, but both soon end up caught in a web of their own deceptions.