When all hope was lost, he invented it.

In Nazi-occupied Poland Jewish caf owner Jakob Heym (Robin Williams) accidentally overhears a forbidden radio news bulletin signaling Soviet military successes against German forces. To combat the overwhelming depression that pervades the ghetto, Jakob invents fictitious news bulletins about Allied advances against the Nazis. These lies keep hope and humor alive among the ghetto inhabitantsspirits are lifted, hearts are refreshed, and optimism is reborn. The Germans learn of the mythical radio and begin a search for the resistance hero who dares operate it.