Paul, an actor preparing for "Uncle Vanya" on Broadway, is mired in ennui. At the suggestion of his agent, he visits a company to have his soul removed and placed in cold storage. Once Giamatti has shed his soul, he finds acting much easier; he's also, suddenly, lousy, and his colleagues and loved ones are understandably perplexed. So he returns, demanding his old soul back, but there are complications: it's in St. Petersburg. Stolen by soul smugglers, it's been sold on the black market to a vapid Russian soap star. Suddenly thrust into the middle of a twisted black market of international soul trafficking, Paul journeys halfway around the world to reclaim what he'd so readily given away.