It happens when Theo Decker is thirteen years old. On the day he visits a New York museum with his mother, a terrible accident changes his life forever. He loses her under tragic circumstances and is left alone and abandoned, as his father has long since deserted him. Theo sinks into deep sorrow that does not leave him for a long time. The painting, which has been in his possession illegally since the fateful event and reminds him of his mother, offers him no comfort. On the contrary: with each passing year, he strays further from his path and risks slipping into criminal circles. The painting, which fascinates him in a strange way, seems to pull him into a world of lies and wrong decisions, into a current that irresistibly drags him along.