Arriving in New York, Tom Ripley was full of ambitious plans: to become a famous actor, to achieve fame, to become rich... But reality turns out to be much more prosaic. Surviving from odd jobs and suffering from a sense of worthlessness, Mr. Ripley can't even hold down a job as a bookkeeper at a department store. But suddenly, he receives an unexpected offer: to travel to Italy and persuade his good friend Dickie Greenleaf, the son of a wealthy businessman, to return home to America. Meeting Dickie, a carefree darling of fortune, the chosen one destined for heaven on earth, is a chance to start over. However, Mr. Ripley's hopes soon turn to dust. The world, with its usual carelessness, rejects him. And Ripley realizes: he can either die or become a different man – Richard Greenleaf.