西蒙·佩吉饰演一个从儿童文学转向犯罪小说写作的作家杰克,为了写作一个名为《几十年的死亡》(Decades of Death)的剧本,天生胆小的杰克开始调查一些维多利亚时期连环杀手的资料,导致自己患上严重的妄想症,总是臆想自己会遭到谋杀。就在杰克生活搞得一团糟的时候,一个神秘的好莱坞片商却对他写出的剧本表示出极大的兴趣。A crime novelist whose research on Victorian serial killers has turned him into a paranoid wreck must confront his worst fears when a film executive takes a sudden interest in his movie script.