Harry Donovan (Jason Patric) is a talented and enterprising painter who takes in large amounts of cash for his expert forgeries of old masters he produces for clients. Keeping a low profile he is disconnected with his own artistic capabilities and his drive to produce the fake work of old masters is in part an ignoring of his own inner purpose. His father (Rod Steiger), from the Ash Can school is aging and castigates Harry for not following his own artistic merits to follow through on his plan to have his own show with a respectable gallery. Harry meets up with a group of gallery owners lead by Alastair (Thomas Lockyer) who is seeking an old master to sell for a high price. With Turley (Ian Richardson), and Iain (Simon Chandler) to raise the funding they go to Harry and offer him $500,000 for a forgery of a Rembrandt. During his research for a lost master Harry discovers a Rembrandt from 350 years ago when it was being transported from Rotterdam to Spain and begins recreating in specific detail the lost painting down to using materials that have been out of use for centuries. During his activities in Paris, Harry meets a young and endearing woman Prof. Marieke van den Broeck (Irene Jacob) who initially introduces herself as a student but in fact is a Rembrandt authority. She and Harry are taken with each other and sleep together before Harry leaves for Amsterdam to fabricate his masterpiece. After completing the canvas Harry brings it to Spain for Alastair and his retinue but the art dealers decline to pay Harry the money until they have established from art experts that the painting is real. When Alastair decides to sell the painting at auction Harry disagrees and takes the painting, on the way kidnapping Marieke who has come to authenticate the canvas. As a pursuit ensues across the French, and English borders Harry and Marieke handcuffed together learn many things about each other which ultimately empower them to make the deal gone bad good for all involved.