Richard Gere comedy based on a true story, about a struggling author who comes up with the perfect scam. After having his latest opus rejected by his publishers, down-at-heel author Clifford Irving (Gere) claims he has an exclusive agreement with Howard Hughes to write the billionaire's autobiography. Banking on Hughes's eagerness to remain out of the public eye, he's soon using a former Hughes employee's manuscript to get the ball rolling, sparking a media frenzy which threatens to engulf the author and ultimately expose the scam. But can he pull it off?