A successful British ghostwriter, known as The Ghost (Ewan McGregor), is hired to complete the memoirs of former British Prime Minister Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan). Although he (or, more aptly, his agent) sees it as the "opportunity of a lifetime," the elephant in the room is the fact that his predecessor on the project, Lang's long-term aide, died in an unfortunate accident. As if that weren't ominous enough, as The Ghost flies out to work on the project, a former British cabinet minister accuses Lang of authorizing the illegal seizure of suspected terrorists and handing them over for torture by the CIA--a war crime. The controversy attracts reporters and protesters swarming to the island mansion where Lang is staying with his wife, Ruth (Olivia Williams), and his personal assistant (and mistress), Amelia (Kim Cattrall).
As The Ghost works, he begins to uncover clues suggesting his predecessor may have uncovered Lang's dark secret--and that somehow this information is hidden in the manuscript he left behind. Was The Ghost's predecessor murdered because of the appalling truth he uncovered? And is The Ghost also in danger of living up to his non de plume?
"Mr. Polanski is a magician, his movie a synthesis of Mr. Harris's sturdy narrative, a Mamet-like appreciation for the shadows that lurk between words, and a drollery that most directors wouldn't even think about attaching to a thriller." --John Anderson, Wall Street Journal (Rated PG-13 for language, brief nudity/sexuality, some violence, and a drug reference.)
