故事发生在充满了异国风情的巴拿马,哈里(杰弗里·拉什 Geoffrey Rush 饰)是一个身怀绝技的裁缝,他凭借着出色的手艺和其三寸不烂之舌在巴拿马的达官显贵与政界要员之间混得风生水起,而他所作的一切,都是为了掩盖他的一段灰暗的过去。 可是,纸终究包不住火,英国大使馆成员安德鲁(皮尔斯·布鲁斯南 Pierce Brosnan 饰)的出现将哈里抛入了一个危险的环境中,安德鲁利用哈里的过去作为威胁,命令哈里成为他在巴拿马政界的眼线,为英国和美国获得巴拿马运河的所属权收集情报。无奈之中,哈里只得就范,但心中的愤怒和不满铸就了他口中的谎言,他告诉安德鲁,一个地下组织正在策划一场武装运动企图推翻政权。令哈里没有想到的是,正是自己的谎言酿成了大祸。John LeCarre's spy thriller is brought to the big screen. A British spy is banished to Panama after having an affair with an ambassador's mistress. Once there he makes connection with a local tailor with a criminal past and connections to all of the top political and gangster figures in Panama. The tailor also has a wife, who works for the canal administrator, and a huge debt. The spy's mission is to learn what the President intends to do with the Panama Canal, but he's really in business for himself, blackmailing the tailor into spinning a fantastic tale about the canal being sold to China and former mercenaries ready to topple the current government.