Nick Leeson (Ewan MacGregor) is a bank clerk who yearns for more excitement. His workplace wants him to deal with issues in Jakarta that nobody else will touch, so Nick is happy to go. After encountering and marrying Lisa (Anna Friel), Nick travels to Singapore with her when his bank offers trading opportunities there. But Nick has to work with unskilled laborers to save money, break the law to make even more money, and find ways to cover it all up. Nick’s massive profits and increasing disrespect for the law cause major financial losses and emotional strain, made worse by a family tragedy.