Ewan McGregor directs and stars in this drama based on the novel by Philip Roth. The film charts the life of Jewish American businessman, and former standout athlete, Seymour 'Swede' Levov (McGregor) whose life begins to unravel during the social and political upheaval of the 1960s. Born and raised in Weequahic, the Jewish neighbourhood of Newark, New Jersey, Swede achieved celebrity status in his local community due to his sports star status, his marriage to former Miss New Jersey, Dawn (Jennifer Connelly), and his place in charge of his father's glove factory. But his perfect upper-class American life comes crashing down when the tensions of the decade tear his country and community apart and his daughter Merry (Dakota Fanning) becomes a radical political activist, with devastating consequences.