The life story of Dutch painter Han van Meegeren, from his beginnings as a rebellious young artist in 1920s Amsterdam to his rise to infamy as one of the most ingenious art forgers of all time. Because he paints in the style of his idols Rembrandt and Vermeer, critics find his work old-fashioned and they call him a copycat. Just to prove a point, he produces a fake Vermeer and tries to pass it off as a real one. It works. Instead of revealing the truth and thereby embarrassing the art world, he continues to make money off of his many forgeries. Soon he is caught in a web of lies and deceit, and his life spins out of control. Then one day, high ranking Nazi Hermann Göring knocks on his door, looking for a Vermeer for his private collection and a forged Vermeer is sold to him.