Upcoming thriller The Ghost Writer is written by a former journalist who had inside information on British politics.
In the film, a successful British writer is offered the job of ghost-writing the memoirs of former British prime minister Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan). But the project seems doomed from the start - not least because the former ghost writer died under mysterious circumstances.
After initially rejecting the offer, The Ghost Writer (Ewan McGregor) agrees to take on the task. His agent assures him it's the opportunity of a lifetime, and that he will be well rewarded.
In the middle of winter, The Ghost Writer flies to an island off the American coast to work on the project. But the day after he arrives, a former British cabinet minister accuses Lang of authorising the illegal seizure of suspected terrorists and handing them over to the CIA for torture.
As The Ghost Writer starts his work, he begins to uncover clues which suggest his predecessor may have stumbled upon a dark secret linking Lang to the CIA. And this information seems to be hidden in the manuscript he left behind.
Was Lang serving the American intelligence agency while he was prime minister? And was The Ghost Writer's predecessor murdered because of the appalling truth he uncovered?
In a world where no one can be trusted, The Ghost Writer quickly discovers that the past can be deadly, and that history is decided by whoever stays alive to write it.