The successful career of 1940s screenwriter Dalton Trumbo comes to a crushing end when he and other Hollywood figures are blacklisted for their political beliefs. It tells the story of his fight against the U.S. government and studio bosses in a war over words and freedom, which entangled everyone in Hollywood from Hedda Hopper and John Wayne to Kirk Douglas and Otto Preminger.

Sammy Glick is a Jewish boy born in New York's Lower East Side. He decides to climb the ladder of success by any means necessary. Through backstabbing and double-crossing, Sammy fights to become the motion picture industry's top screenwriter. A rags to riches story about the world of 1930s Hollywood.

Steven Phillips is a veteran screenwriter of 17 films who is told he has lost his edge. A fellow writer with a string of successes under his belt refers Phillips to Sarah, a professional muse. In exchange for the royal treatment and a showering of expensive gifts, she will grace writers with her presence, which seems to magically spark profitable ideas in the client's mind. Is her power real or is it all in her clients' heads?