Ann Bishop Mullany lives in Baton Rouge, unhappily but comfortably married to John, a successful lawyer. She is in therapy, where she reveals that she is repulsed by the idea of him touching her. Graham Dalton, an old close college friend of John and now a drifter with some money saved up, visits Baton Rouge to see John and perhaps stay in the city. When he arrives at their home, he meets Ann, who learns that John has invited Graham to stay with them until he finds an apartment. When John arrives home, Graham's demeanor becomes remarkably more guarded; though he realizes he now has nothing in common with John, he and Ann get along well. John is having an affair with Ann's sister Cynthia, a free-spirited artist and bartender, which he rationalizes by blaming Ann's frigidity. Ann helps Graham look for an apartment. Once he has a place, she makes an impromptu visit and notices stacks of camcorder videotapes, labeled with women's names. When asked, Graham explains that they contain interviews with women about their deepest sexual desires and fantasies. Uncomfortable, Ann abruptly leaves. The next day, Cynthia appears uninvited at Graham's apartment and presses Graham to explain what "spooked" Ann. He reluctantly explains it was the videotapes that disturbed her and that he achieves gratification by watching the videos in private. Graham propositions Cynthia to make an interview tape, assuring her that only he will see it. She agrees, and later tells Ann about the experience. She is horrified, as is John, when Cynthia later tells him. Cleaning her home the next day, Ann discovers Cynthia's pearl earring in her bedroom while vacuuming and deduces her affair with John. Furious, Ann goes to Graham's apartment with the intention of making a videotape. He objects, but she is insistent. Later, Ann demands a divorce from John and reveals that she made a tape with Graham. John immediately becomes enraged so that he seems ready to strike Ann, but instead rushes to Graham's apartment and assaults Graham, punching him in the face, then dragging him outside and locking him out, then watches Ann's tape. In the video, Ann says she has never felt any kind of "satisfaction" from sex. Graham asks if she ever thinks of having sex with other men; she admits she has thought of Graham. Ann turns the camera on Graham, who resists opening up but soon confesses that he is haunted by his ex-girlfriend Elizabeth and that his motivation in returning to Baton Rouge was an attempt to achieve some closure. He explains that he was a pathological liar, which destroyed his relationship with her. Graham has since gone to great lengths to avoid people and relationships. Ann kisses him, then he turns off the camcorder, ending the tape. An unhinged John joins Graham on the front porch and, with intense viciousness, claims to have had sex with Elizabeth while she and Graham were a couple, saying: "She was no saint. She was good in bed, and she could keep a secret. That's all I can say about her." After he leaves, a distraught Graham destroys his camcorder and all of the videotapes. Some time later, John is urgently summoned to his boss's office. Ann and Cynthia reconcile at the bar Cynthia tends. Later, Ann goes to Graham's and joins him on the front porch. She predicts rain, to which he replies: "It is raining."

In 1194, English nobleman Robin of Locksley has spent years in an Ayyubid prison in Jerusalem, having followed King Richard the Lionheart on the Third Crusade. Robin and his comrade Peter Dubois escape, saving the life of a Moor named Azeem Al Bakir. Mortally wounded, Peter makes Robin swear to protect his sister Marian, and Azeem vows to accompany Robin until his life debt is repaid. In King Richard's absence, George, the cruel Sheriff of Nottingham, plots to seize the throne for himself, and has Robin's father killed for remaining loyal to King Richard. Arriving home four months later, Robin saves a young boy named Wulf from the Sheriff's ruthless cousin, Guy of Gisbourne. He finds his father Lord Locksley's corpse and his family's servant Duncan blinded by Gisbourne; Duncan explains that Lord Locksley was falsely accused of devil worship. The Sheriff consults the witch Mortianna, who foresees King Richard's return and that Robin and Azeem "will be our deaths". Robin tells Marian of Peter's death, but she sees little need for his protection. Fleeing the Sheriff's forces into Sherwood Forest, Robin, Duncan and Azeem encounter a group of outlaws led by Wulf's father Little John, who challenges Robin to a duel. Robin wins and earns John's friendship but the bandit Will Scarlet refuses to trust him. Confronting the corrupt Bishop of Hereford for his role in Lord Locksley's death, Robin humiliates the Sheriff, who sends Gisbourne to terrorize the peasants in the search for "Robin of the Hood". Despite the price on his head, Robin shapes the growing band of outlaws into a formidable force against the Sheriff. They rob rich folk passing through the forest and distribute the stolen wealth and food among the poor, and coerce the beer-loving Friar Tuck to join them. Marian offers Robin any aid she can and they fall in love. Robin's success and public support infuriate the Sheriff, who worsens his abuse of the peasants and kills Gisbourne for failing to stop the outlaws. Mortianna advises the Sheriff to recruit fearsome Celtic warriors from Scotland and that he must marry someone of royal blood: Marian, King Richard's cousin. Betrayed by the Bishop, Marian is taken prisoner and Duncan rides to warn Robin, unknowingly followed by the Sheriff's men. They storm Sherwood with Celtic reinforcements and burn Robin's hideout, capturing many of the outlaws and killing Duncan. With Robin presumed dead, the Sheriff threatens the prisoners and their families, forcing Marian to agree to marriage. Will bargains with the Sheriff to betray Robin and returns to Sherwood, but instead reveals that he is Robin's half-brother, and they reconcile. On the day of the wedding, Robin and his men infiltrate Nottingham Castle and save the outlaws from being hanged. With the help of Azeem's explosive powder, they free the prisoners, and Azeem inspires the peasants to revolt, forcing the Sheriff to retreat with Marian into his keep. The Bishop hastily performs the marriage but before the Sheriff can consummate it, Robin bursts in. Friar Tuck finds the Bishop fleeing with gold, burdens him with additional treasure and defenestrates him. In a fierce duel, Robin kills the Sheriff, and Azeem kills Mortianna in defense of Robin, thus fulfilling his life-debt. Later, Robin and Marian's wedding in Sherwood is interrupted by the return of King Richard, who blesses the marriage and thanks Robin for saving his throne.

A gang of violent young neo-Nazi skinheads from Footscray, Victoria, Australia, attack three Vietnamese Australian teenagers in a tunnel at Footscray Station, brutally beating two of them. The gang is led by Hando, a violent, reckless, and unpredictable psychopath with strong white nationalist beliefs and homicidal tendencies, with his friend and second-in-command, the quiet, reserved, but similarly violent Davey. At their local pub, Hando and Davey meet Gabrielle, who suffers from poorly controlled epilepsy, the day after her sexually abusive, affluent father, Martin, has her drug-addicted boyfriend arrested. Gabrielle begins a romantic relationship with Hando, which, despite a strong start, quickly becomes dysfunctional as he becomes increasingly abusive towards her. After the gang vandalises a shopping mall, friends of the gang visit from Canberra, one of whom has joined the Royal Australian Navy. A party at the warehouse follows. The next day, two boys go to the pub, which has just been sold to a Vietnamese businessman by the owner. Upon seeing the new owner and his sons, they inform Hando, who arrives with his gang, and they savagely beat two of the new owner's sons, while the third son escapes and calls for help. Fed up with the gang's antagonism and violence, a large mob of armed and angry Vietnamese men, led by Tiger, arrives and descends upon the skinheads. The Vietnamese outnumber the skinheads by droves, and in the ensuing brawl and chase, several skinheads are beaten by the angry mob, among them Magoo, Luke, Champ, and Brett. The rest of the gang are chased back to their rented warehouse, from which they narrowly escape as the Vietnamese mob breaks in and ransacks the building before burning it down. The skinheads soon find a new base at a nearby warehouse, after evicting a pair of squatters, and plan retaliation against the Vietnamese. When the gang agrees to acquire firearms, two female friends of the gang depart in disgust. Gabrielle suggests the gang burgle her father's mansion for the guns. After beating and tying up Martin, the gang ransacks the house, smashes one of his cars, and raids his wine collection. The youngest skinhead, Bubs, steals a deactivated revolver from the house during the burglary. Gabrielle tells Martin the burglary is revenge for his years of abuse, then reveals to Davey her plan to take Hando away from his violent life. Martin eventually frees himself and uses a handgun to scare away the gang, who flee in the trashed vehicle and leave behind most of the stolen goods. Due to this incident, Davey begins to question his violent lifestyle. Agitated by Gabrielle's criticism of the poor outcome of the robbery and their living conditions, Hando abruptly hits, berates, dumps, and then evicts her. Davey, unable to tolerate the excess violence and Hando's cruel and unpredictable nature any further, declares his departure from the gang and gives Gabrielle his German grandmother's address, where he will be staying. Gabrielle informs the police of the gang's location and spends the night with Davey, where they confess their feelings for each other. Davey also reveals his doubts about his violent lifestyle to Gabrielle, having removed the racist patches from his flight jacket out of concern for his grandmother. The morning after, the police raid the warehouse where the skinhead gang is hiding. Bubs is shot in the head after pointing the stolen deactivated gun at the police, and what remains of the gang is beaten and arrested. Hando, who was returning to the warehouse and fled when he spotted the police, successfully evades capture as the last remaining member of his gang. Arriving at Davey's granny flat, Hando finds his friend in bed with Gabrielle. Hando accuses her of informing the police, but Davey says they were together the whole time since leaving the squat. However, Hando convinces Davey and Gabrielle to come with him by claiming the police will soon raid the residence, and the trio goes on the run. They rob a service station, where Hando strangles the Asian attendant to death; and, after driving all night, they stop at Point Addis, Bells Beach, the next morning. There, Gabrielle overhears a conversation wherein Hando tries to convince Davey to abandon her. Feeling betrayed, Gabrielle sets their car on fire and admits to tipping the police off about the gang's whereabouts. A bus of Japanese tourists arrive and the passengers taking pictures and video, while the tour guide and the driver stop the fire. Hando, infuriated beyond sense, attacks Gabrielle and attempts to asphyxiate her, first by strangling her and then by drowning her in the surf. Davey attempts to fight Hando several times and successfully disrupts each attempt on Gabrielle's life, but he is quickly fought off and beaten down each time. Eventually, Hando attempts to smother Gabrielle in the sand, before Davey, desperate to save Gabrielle, stabs Hando in the neck with his Hitler Youth knife. Hando staggers away before finally collapsing. As the Japanese tourists look on, a weeping Davey attempts to comfort a petrified Gabrielle as Hando's corpse gazes lifelessly out at the ocean.

Charlie Simms is a scholarship student at Baird, an exclusive New England preparatory school. Karen Rossi hires him to watch her uncle, retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade, during Thanksgiving weekend. Charlie accepts so he can buy a plane ticket home to Gresham, Oregon for Christmas. He meets Frank, a highly decorated, blind Vietnam War veteran who has become a cantankerous and cynical alcoholic. Charlie and student George Willis Jr. witness three classmates set up a prank to humiliate the headmaster, Mr. Trask, by dousing his prized automobile, a Jaguar XJ, with flour and water. Afterward, Trask learns of the witnesses and unsuccessfully presses them to name the perpetrators. He privately offers Charlie virtually guaranteed acceptance to Harvard University if he informs on the other students. Trask schedules a meeting of the school disciplinary committee to take place on the Monday after the Thanksgiving weekend. Frank Slade unexpectedly takes Charlie on a trip to New York City and arranges their stay at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel. During dinner in the Oak Room at the Plaza Hotel, Frank reveals that the goals of his trip are to stay at a luxurious hotel, enjoy good food and wine, visit his older brother, and have sex with a "terrific" woman. Afterward, he intends to die by suicide. On Thanksgiving Day, they visit Frank's brother at his home in White Plains. Frank provokes everyone at dinner, which ends in a confrontation with his nephew Randy, who reveals that Frank was not blinded heroically in combat, but in an accident that occurred when he drunkenly juggled live grenades to show off for a group of younger officers. Frank assaults Randy for repeatedly calling Charlie "Chucky", a name Charlie despises, revealing Frank's growing affection for Charlie. As they return to the city, Charlie mentions his problem at school. Frank advises he turn informant, warning that George will probably submit to Trask's pressure, so he should act first so he can attend Harvard. While at The Pierre 's Cotillion Ballroom, Frank identifies the scent (Ogleby Sisters soap) of a young woman waiting for her date. He introduces himself and offers to teach her the tango. The evening ends with Frank having sex with a high-class escort, completing the stated objectives of his trip. Despondent the next morning, Frank is uninterested in any suggestions for the day until Charlie brings up going for a car ride. Frank talks a Ferrari salesman into letting them take a convertible for a test ride. When on the road, Frank becomes depressed again until Charlie allows him to drive. When they are pulled over by a policeman, Frank convinces the officer to let them go without revealing that he is blind. After returning the car, Frank again becomes despondent. He jaywalks into rushing traffic on Park Avenue and narrowly escapes being struck by multiple cars. When they return to the hotel, Frank sends Charlie to buy cigars. Charlie leaves but becomes suspicious and returns to find Frank donning his dress uniform and preparing to end his life with his service pistol. They scuffle briefly and Frank breaks down. He backs down after Charlie convinces him that he has much to live for and should courageously face his circumstances. On Monday morning, Charlie and George appear before the Baird disciplinary committee with the whole student body in attendance. Frank unexpectedly arrives and sits with Charlie. George Jr. provides tentative identifications but claims he was not wearing his contact lenses, so he cannot be positive. Charlie refuses to confirm George Jr.'s identification, so Trask recommends his expulsion. Frank gives a speech defending Charlie, denounces Baird for not living up to its own standards, and urges the committee to value Charlie's integrity. The disciplinary committee places the instigators on probation, denies George credit for naming them, and excuses Charlie from the proceedings. As Charlie escorts Frank to his limousine, political science professor Christine Downes, a member of the disciplinary committee, commends Frank for his speech. They flirt and he impresses her by recognizing her perfume. Charlie accompanies Frank home, where Frank happily greets his niece's children.

In Verona Beach, the Capulets and Montagues are two rival business empires. The animosity of the older generation—Fulgencio and Gloria Capulet and Ted and Caroline Montague—is felt by their younger relatives. A shootout occurs between Montague Benvolio, Romeo 's cousin, and Capulet Tybalt, Juliet 's cousin, creating chaos in the city. The Chief of Police, Captain Prince, arrests Benvolio and Tybalt before reprimanding the families, warning them that if such an event occurs again, their lives "shall pay the forfeit of the peace". Benvolio and Romeo learn of a Capulet party that evening, which they decide to gate-crash. Romeo agrees on hearing that Rosaline, with whom he is madly in love, is attending. They meet their friend, Mercutio, who has tickets to the party, and Romeo takes ecstasy as they proceed to the Capulet mansion. The effects of the drug and the party overwhelm Romeo, who goes to the restroom. There he sees and meets Juliet, and the two instantly fall in love, both unaware of who the other is. Tybalt spots Romeo and vows to kill him for trespassing into his family's home. After Romeo leaves the party, he and Juliet each learn that they belong to the feuding families, but he returns to propose to her. She tells him that if he sends word by the following day, they will be betrothed. The next day, Romeo asks Father Laurence to marry them, and he agrees. Romeo passes the word on via Juliet's nurse, and they soon get married. Tybalt encounters the Montagues and Mercutio at the beach. Romeo then comes and attempts to make peace, but Tybalt assaults him. Mercutio intervenes and batters Tybalt, and is about to kill him when Romeo stops him. Tybalt takes the opportunity to fatally wound Mercutio, who curses both houses before dying. Enraged, Romeo chases after the fleeing Tybalt and shoots him dead, avenging Mercutio's death. Captain Prince banishes Romeo from the city, so he goes into hiding with Father Laurence. The nurse arrives and tells him that Juliet is waiting for him. Romeo climbs Juliet's balcony and they consummate their marriage, with him departing the next morning. Meanwhile, Fulgencio decides Juliet will marry Dave Paris, the governor's son. The next morning, Gloria informs Juliet that she is to marry Paris at St. Peter's Church. When Juliet refuses, Fulgencio physically assaults her and threatens to disown her if she doesn't accept it. She runs away and seeks out Father Laurence, imploring him to help her, while threatening to commit suicide. He gives her a potion that will let her fake her own death, after which she will be placed within the Capulet vault to awaken 24 hours later. Father Laurence vows to inform Romeo of the plot via overnight letter, whereupon the latter will sneak into the vault. Once reunited with Juliet, the two will escape to Mantua, the remote trailer park in the desert where Romeo has been hiding out. However, Romeo does not see the delivered letter so, believing Juliet to be dead, buys a vial of poison from an apothecary. Romeo enters the church where Juliet lies and consumes the poison just as Juliet wakes up. Distraught over his death, she shoots herself in the head with his gun, falling down beside his lifeless body. As the bodies of both Romeo and Juliet are being loaded onto ambulances, the parents of both houses arrive at the scene. Captain Prince approaches their fathers, berating them both for the deaths of their children that their foolish feud has caused.

Although the film does not have a linear plot, a structure exists, telling the same story from three different perspectives. At the beginning, Soderbergh speaks to the audience in a style meant to evoke Cecil B. DeMille's introduction to The Ten Commandments. Fletcher Munson is an office employee working under Theodore Azimuth Schwitters, the leader of a self-help company known as Eventualism. The first part of the film is seen from Fletcher's perspective, seeing the underlying meaning in everything. He pays more attention to meaning, rather than what is said. He shows less and less attention to other people, to the point where he comes home and communicates with his wife by describing what they are saying. When Fletcher's co-worker Lester Richards dies, Fletcher takes his job as speechwriter. His personal life suffers because of this. He becomes more detached from his wife, who copes by having an affair. Meanwhile, Elmo Oxygen, an exterminator, goes from house to house, bedding the housewives who work for Schwitters. In each house he takes pictures of his genitals using cameras he finds. Elmo and the women speak in a nonsensical code. Fletcher's key will not work in his car door. He looks around to find that his actual car (parked two spots away) is an exact match for the one he is trying to get into. He goes to enter his car when he sees a man who is his exact double get into the car he just tried to enter. Fletcher follows his doppelgänger home, closes his eyes, and becomes him. Next we follow Fletcher's doppelgänger, Dr. Jeffrey Korchek, a dentist. He always wears a jogging suit. He is also a fan of Muzak, and is the mystery man that Fletcher's wife has been sleeping with. Korchek suggests she leave Fletcher for him. The next day, Korchek has breakfast with his heroin -addicted brother, who asks to stay with Korchek and for money. Korchek says that his brother should not be dealing with drug dealers and that he can get him drugs. Korchek goes to work, where he meets Attractive Woman Number 2, Mrs. Munson's doppelgänger. Korchek falls instantly in love and writes her a letter professing such. He leaves the note and goes home, where he sees a car in the driveway. It is Mrs. Munson, who has left Fletcher. Korchek admits that he has fallen in love with someone else. Mrs. Munson is upset and leaves. The next day Korchek gets to work and is confronted by a man who says "Your brother, eight hours, fifteen thousand dollars." Almost all of his dialog consists of these three commands. Korchek goes into the office and finds a letter from a law firm representing Attractive Woman Number 2, who is filing a sexual harassment suit against him. He discovers that his brother has stolen all of his money. Korchek leaves work. Korchek is shot dead. A couple following Elmo approach him, to convince him to stop playing his role in the film, in order to become a star in an action show. Unlike the rest of the film, Elmo's storyline moves forward in time. Finally we see the perspective of Mrs. Munson. We move through the storyline, seeing her experiences with Fletcher and Dr. Korchek and being a mom. The events are the same but Fletcher and Korchek speak foreign languages, similar to the "generic greetings" from earlier. Once Mrs. Munson leaves Korchek, she reconciles with Fletcher and they go home. Fletcher finishes Schwitters' speech. Schwitters mounts the podium and gives the oration. After Schwitters acknowledges the applause with a "Thank you," Elmo bursts in and shoots him in the shoulder. Schwitters survives and Elmo is arrested and interrogated. In a shopping mall Fletcher narrates events from the rest of his life. Then, Soderbergh returns in front of a blank movie screen and asks if there are any questions. After offering several responses he walks offstage as the camera pulls back to reveal he's been talking to an empty auditorium. A man clad only in a black T-shirt appears at the beginning and conclusion of the film, being chased by men in white coats through a field. In the beginning, the T-shirt sports the title of the film; later, it says "The End." The film has no beginning or end credits, although the fictitious persons and copyright disclaimers flash for a millisecond to conclude the film.

In 1939, Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer leaves behind his pregnant wife to join Peter Aufschnaiter in a team attempting to summit Nanga Parbat in India (now part of Pakistan). When World War II begins in 1939, they are arrested by the British authorities for being enemy aliens, and are imprisoned in a prisoner-of-war camp in Dehradun in the Himalayan foothills, in the present-day Indian state of Uttarakhand. Harrer's wife, Ingrid, who has given birth to a son he has not seen, sends him divorce papers from Austria, by then annexed by Nazi Germany. In 1944, Harrer and Aufschnaiter escape the prison and cross into Tibet. After being initially rejected by the isolated nation, they manage to travel in disguise to the Tibetan capital city of Lhasa. They become the house guests of Tibetan diplomat Kungo Tsarong. The Tibetan senior official Ngawang Jigme also extends friendship to the two foreigners with gifts of custom-made Western suits. Aufschnaiter falls in love with the tailor, Pema Lhaki, and marries her. Harrer opts to remain single, both to focus on his new job of surveying the land and to avoid experiencing another failed relationship; much to the disappointment and dismay of his friends. In 1945, Harrer plans to return to Austria upon hearing of the war's end; but his son Rolf sends him a cold letter in which he says that he is not his father. This stops him from leaving Tibet. Soon afterwards, Harrer is invited to the Potala Palace and becomes the 14th Dalai Lama 's tutor in world geography, science, and Western culture. They end up becoming friends. Meanwhile, political relations with the new Communist government of China sour as they make plans to take control of Tibet in replacement of the former central government, now defeated and retreated to Taiwan. Ngawang Jigme leads the Tibetan army at the border town of Chamdo to halt the advancing People's Liberation Army. However, he ends up surrendering and blows up the Tibetan ammunition dump after the one-sided Battle of Chamdo. During the treaty signing, Kungo Tsarong tells Harrer that if Jigme had not destroyed the weapons supply, the Tibetan guerrillas could have held the mountain passes for months or even years; long enough to appeal to other nations for help. He also states that, for Tibetans, capitulation is like a death sentence. As the Chinese occupy Tibet, Harrer condemns Jigme for betraying his country, declaring their friendship over. Out of disgust and contempt, he further humiliates the senior official by returning the jacket that Jigme gave him as a present, a grave insult in Tibetan culture; as well as by throwing him onto the ground before storming off. Harrer tries to convince the Dalai Lama to flee, but he refuses; not wanting to abandon his people in spite of the danger. However, he encourages Harrer to return to Austria and be a father to his son. After the enthronement ceremony, in which the Dalai Lama is formally enthroned as the spiritual and temporal leader of Tibet, Harrer bids his friends farewell and returns to Austria in 1951. Harrer's wife and her new husband almost do not recognize him for how different he is. Harrer's son, Rolf, bitterly refuses to meet him at first; but Harrer leaves a music box that the Dalai Lama gave him, and this piques the boy's interest. Years later, Harrer and Rolf (now a teenager) are seen mountain-climbing together, suggesting they have mended their relationship.

In 1865, at the conclusion of the American Civil War, Richmond, Virginia is in ruins. The CSS Texas, captained by Mason Tombs is loaded with the last of the Confederacy 's gold to keep it from Union forces before disappearing. In present day Mali, there is a civil war between dictator General Kazim and the Tuareg people. In Nigeria, WHO doctors Eva Rojas and Frank Hopper investigate a disease affecting people who have been in Mali. Zakara, a corrupt Tuareg, tries to murder Eva, but she is rescued by Dirk Pitt, from the National Underwater and Marine Agency, who was diving nearby. Dirk gets a gold Confederate coin found in the Niger, a clue to the location of the long-lost Texas. He borrows his boss Sandecker's yacht to search for it. His partners Al Giordino and Rudi Gunn from NUMA accompany him. They first transport Eva and Hopper to Mali so they can continue investigating the disease, then continue up the Niger. While taking water samples, they discover red algae, which puzzles them as it is not usually found in fresh water. Kazim, with businessman Yves Massarde, try to stop the doctors from discovering the source of the disease. Kazim sends men to attack the yacht. Dirk, Al and Rudi survive, but the yacht is destroyed. Rudi leaves to get help while Dirk and Al go to rescue the doctors. Kazim's men track down the doctors and kill Hopper. Dirk and Al rescue Eva. As they are trying to leave Mali, they are captured by the Tuareg insurgents. Convincing the group that they are hunted by Kazim, their leader, Modibo, shows Eva his people dying from the disease she is following, which she determines is a waterborne toxin with no available treatment or cure. Al stumbles into a cave with a painting showing the ironclad Texas. Dirk believes that the Texas became stranded when the river dried up and the same river that carried the ship now runs underground. Following the river bed, they stumble upon Massarde's solar plant, which they discover is the source of the contamination. Meanwhile, Rudi and Sandecker have deduced that chemicals are creating the red algae and seeping slowly towards the Atlantic Ocean, where they will expand rapidly upon entering salt water and kill ocean life worldwide. Despite this, the US government is reluctant to intervene. Dirk, Al and Eva infiltrate the solar power plant on an inbound train. However, Massarde and Zakara capture them, keep Eva, and send Dirk and Al in a truck to Kazim. Dirk and Al escape in the middle of the desert and rebuild a plane wreck into a land yacht; make contact with Sandecker by telephone, they learn of the impending disaster. Dirk and Al return to the solar plant, with Modibo's help. To cover up the existence of the waste, Massarde plans to destroy it with explosives. Fearing the plant's destruction would guarantee worldwide water contamination, Al goes to remove the explosives while Dirk tries to rescue Eva. Dirk kills Zakara after a fight, but Massarde escapes via helicopter. Al successfully neutralizes the explosives. The three leave the plant in an Avions Voisin C-28 stolen from Kazim by Modibo; the general pursues them in an attack helicopter, with his army following. A series of explosions along the dry river bed reveals the wreckage of the Texas. The trio hides in the armored ship, but Kazim's helicopter uses armour-piercing ammunition. Using one of the Texas ' s cannons, they manage to destroy the helicopter, killing Kazim. Modibo arrives with Tuareg reinforcements, forcing Kazim's army to surrender. The plant is shut down, stopping the source of toxic waste. Sandecker agrees to work covertly for the US government in exchange for NUMA funding. The Texas gold is left with Modibo's people. It is implied that Massarde is poisoned by Carl, an undercover CIA agent, while Dirk and Eva start a relationship.

After catching his wife Amy having an affair with their friend Ted, mystery writer Mort Rainey retreats to his cabin in upstate New York. Six months later, Mort, depressed and suffering from writer's block, has delayed finalizing the divorce. A man named John Shooter arrives at the cabin and accuses Mort of plagiarizing his short story, "Sowing Season". Upon reading Shooter's manuscript, Mort discovers it is virtually identical to his own story, "Secret Window", except for the ending. The following day, Mort, who once plagiarized another author's story, tells Shooter that his story was published in a mystery magazine before Shooter's, invalidating his claim. Shooter demands proof and warns Mort against contacting the police. That night, Mort's dog, Chico, is found dead outside the cabin, along with a note from Shooter giving Mort three days. Mort reports the incident to Sheriff Newsome. Mort drives to his and Amy's house to retrieve a copy of the magazine, but he leaves because Ted and Amy are there. Mort hires private investigator Ken Karsch, who stakes out the cabin and speaks to Tom Greenleaf, a local resident. At the cabin, Shooter appears and demands that Mort revise the ending of his story, giving it Shooter's twist, in which the protagonist kills his wife. When a fire destroys Amy and Mort's house, and presumably the magazine, Mort tells the police that he has an enemy. Mort and Karsch agree to confront Shooter but first plan to meet up with Greenleaf at the local diner the next morning, but neither Karsch nor Greenleaf show up. On his way home, Mort encounters Ted, who demands that Mort sign the divorce papers. Believing Shooter is in Ted's employ, Mort refuses. Later, Shooter summons Mort; when he arrives, Mort finds Karsch and Greenleaf dead. Shooter tells Mort he killed the two men because they "interfered." He warns Mort that he has implicated him in their murders and implies Mort should dispose of the bodies. Mort agrees to meet Shooter at his cabin to show him the magazine containing his story, which has been sent overnight by his agent. Mort disposes of the bodies. Mort retrieves the package containing the magazine from the post office but finds that it has already been opened; the pages containing his story have been cut out. After a series of startling events, Mort realizes that Shooter is a figment of his imagination, unwittingly created to cope with his anger and carry out malevolent tasks that Mort cannot do – like killing Chico, Greenleaf, and Karsch, as well as burning down Amy's home. Amy arrives at the cabin, finding it ransacked, and she sees the word "SHOOTER" carved repeatedly on the walls and furniture. Mort appears, having been taken over by the "Shooter" persona. Amy realizes the name "Shooter" represents Mort's desire to "SHOOT HER". Mort stabs Amy in the leg. Ted arrives and is killed by Mort while Amy watches helplessly. Mort approaches her while reciting the ending of "Sowing Season". Months later, Mort has recovered from his writer's block, and his passion for life has returned. He is feared and shunned in town because of the rumors about the murders. Sheriff Newsome arrives and tells Mort that he is the prime suspect and that the bodies will eventually be found. Mort passively dismisses the threat and tells Newsome that the ending to his new story is "perfect". It is implied that Amy and Ted's bodies are buried under the corn growing in Mort's garden.

In Toronto, Scott Pilgrim, a 22-year-old bassist for unsuccessful indie garage band Sex Bob-Omb, dates Knives Chau, a 17-year-old high-school student, to the disapproval of his friends in the band, his younger sister Stacey, and his roommate Wallace Wells. Scott meets Ramona Flowers, an American Amazon delivery girl, at Julie Powers’ party, after having first seen her in a dream. Scott loses interest in Knives but does not break up with her immediately before pursuing Ramona. When Sex Bob-Omb plays in a battle of the bands sponsored by record executive Gideon Graves, Scott is attacked by Ramona's ex-boyfriend Matthew Patel. Sex Bob-Omb's competition is incinerated by Matthew's fireball attacks, but Scott defeats him and learns he must defeat her remaining six evil exes in order to date Ramona. Scott finally breaks up with Knives, who blames Ramona and swears to win him back by becoming more like Ramona. Scott soon encounters Ramona's second ex, actor and skateboard junkie Lucas Lee. Scott defeats Lucas by tricking him into attempting a grind on a 200-plus step icy railing and crashing explosively. The band is soon asked to open for Clash at Demonhead, whereupon Scott encounters Ramona's third ex, the super-powered vegan bassist Todd Ingram, who is dating Scott's ex, Envy Adams, the lead singer. Scott deceives Todd into drinking half and half, and Todd is confronted by the vegan police and stripped of his powers; Scott then delivers the final blow. Scott then encounters Ramona's fourth ex, bisexual ninja Roxy Richter, and with the help of Ramona, he manages to beat her. Scott's growing frustration soon boils over, and after an outburst regarding Ramona's dating history, she breaks up with him while leaving him a list of her exes. At the next battle of the bands, Sex Bob-Omb defeats Ramona's fifth and sixth exes, techno twins Kyle and Ken Katayanagi, earning Scott an extra life. Despite this, Ramona appears to get back with her seventh and final ex, Gideon. Sex Bob-Omb accepts Gideon's record deal, except Scott, who quits the band in protest, during which their roadie, Young Neil, becomes their new bassist. Gideon invites Scott to his venue, the Chaos Theater, where Sex Bob-Omb is playing. Resolving to win Ramona back, Scott challenges Gideon to a fight for her affection, earning the "Power of Love" sword. Knives interrupts the battle, attacking Ramona, and Scott is forced to reveal that he cheated on both of them. Gideon kills Scott, and Ramona visits him in limbo to reveal that Gideon has implanted her with a mind control device. Scott uses his 1-up to come back to life and re-enters the Chaos Theater. He makes peace with his friends and challenges Gideon, this time for himself, gaining the "Power of Self-Respect" sword. After apologizing to Ramona and Knives for cheating on them and accepting his own faults, Scott joins forces with Knives and they defeat Gideon. Now free from Gideon's control, Ramona prepares to leave. After the fight, Scott is faced by his darker version, Nega-Scott, with whom he hits it off. Knives accepts that her relationship with Scott is over and, at her encouragement, he leaves with Ramona to "try again".

Bob Munro, an executive at the large soda company Pure Vibe, struggles with the whims of his self-absorbed boss Todd Mallory. His family — materialistic wife Jamie and their teenage children, sharp-tongued Cassie and self-confident Carl — are also demanding, and he had promised them a vacation in Hawaii. During an event Todd hosted, Cassie's friend Gretchen insults Todd and stains his suit with a soda. Todd, who sought to acquire the Alpine Soda company in Boulder, Colorado, blames Bob for the incident and threatens to fire him if he does not promote the takeover. Todd's demand forces the Munros to cancel their vacation. Bob, concealing the real reason for not going to Hawaii, rents an RV and tells his family that they are traveling to the Rockies; he plans to make a detour in Colorado to secretly attend the meeting in Boulder. The trip is marked by numerous mishaps. Bob's inexperience in handling the large vehicle results in him colliding with various obstacles and damaging the parking brake. During a stopover in Nevada, he must fix an unsavory clog in the toilet tank. The family also fumigates the RV with stink bombs to drive out intrusive raccoons. During the trip, the Munros have several encounters with the Gornickes, a good-natured but exhausting family who live in their own RV, consisting of dad Travis, mobile sales rep and cosmetologist mom Mary Jo, and their three children, Earl, Moon, and Billy. As they approach Colorado, Carl tries playing basketball with some older boys, but Bob makes it awkward and embarrasses him. The two go for a walk in the woods and somehow bond over the future of Carl's heavyweight career. Later, the Munros reconnect as a family and enjoy the beauty of their surroundings. Nearing Boulder, Bob fakes an upset stomach and sends the rest of the family on a hike before meeting with the Alpine Soda owners. The meeting is promising, but on the way back, Bob gets stuck in a traffic jam, forcing him to take the RV through a treacherous four-wheel-drive trail; he returns to his family with a badly battered vehicle. Todd calls Bob and demands that he return the next day to repeat the presentation to the entire Alpine Soda staff. However, the RV's parking brake fails again and sends it rolling into a mountain lake. Bob is forced to confess the true purpose of the trip to his family, explaining that he fears losing his job and their standard of living. Taken aback, the family refuses to accompany him, leaving him to make his way to the meeting alone on a bike recovered from the RV. The Gornickes appear and pick up the Munros. Along the way, the two families bond; Bob spots them together from a distance on the road. Deciding his family is more important than his job, he catches up to them and reconciles with everyone. In return, the Gornickes drive him the rest of the way to the meeting. At the Alpine Soda headquarters, Bob begins to pitch the takeover to the staff; halfway through, he has an epiphany and encourages their independence, aware that Todd would ruin the brand. In retaliation, Todd fires Bob; Carl angrily throws to the ground and tackles him, making him a hero. Then Bob retorts that he quits anyway. On their way home in the sodden and battered RV, the Munros are stopped by a police officer on behalf of the Alpine Soda owners, who offer Bob a job overseeing their company's expansion. The RV's parking brake fails again, flattening the police car and the Alpine Soda company owners' car. During the credits, the two families are shown dancing and singing along to " Route 66 ".

Force Recon Scout Snipers Gunnery Sergeant Bob Lee Swagger and his spotter Donnie Fenn provide overwatch for a black ops mission in Ethiopia. The mission is successful, but while covering the retreat of friendly forces, an enemy attack helicopter assaults their position, resulting in Fenn's death. The CIA officer supervising the operation disavows the mission and strands them in enemy territory without any backup, though Swagger survives. Three years later, a retired Swagger is approached by Colonel Isaac Johnson to seek his help in preventing a possible assassination attempt on the President during a public event. Swagger identifies Philadelphia as the best location for the act, and pinpoints likely sniper spots. Swagger joins Johnson at an overwatch position during the event, where a sniper kills Ethiopian Archbishop Desmond Mutumbo. Officer Stanley Timmons, a Philadelphia Police Department officer bribed by Johnson, shoots Swagger, who falls through a window. Swagger disarms rookie FBI Agent Nick Memphis and warns him about Timmons, before jumping into the Delaware River and escaping under a ferry. Soon, news reports are released naming Swagger as the assassin and that he used his CheyTac M200 sniper rifle to kill Mutumbo. Evading authorities, Swagger travels to Kentucky and meets Fenn's widow, Sarah, who treats his injuries. Memphis grows suspicious of the unusually rapid conclusions, exacerbated by Timmons' odd death off-duty during an alleged mugging, begins his own investigation and realizes that the assassination was conducted with a remotely controlled gun. Sarah and Swagger discreetly feed Memphis information, furthering his investigation until he catches Johnson's attention, who orders his men to kidnap and kill Memphis. In captivity, Memphis is strapped with a brace that could force him to shoot himself, while his abductors force-feed him water in order to get him to urinate the ruphylin from his system. Before they can stage Memphis' suicide, Swagger kills them, releases Memphis and requests his help bringing down Johnson. The two travel to Tennessee and meet with firearms expert Mr. Rate, who explains paper-patching can be used to confuse ballistic fingerprinting and deduces that the only other person alive capable of making such a long-range shot is the crippled Serbian sniper Mikhaylo Sczerbiak, whom Swagger has unawarely met when working for Johnson. Swagger concludes that he was used to conduct reconnaissance for the wheelchair-using Sczerbiak, who performed the actual assassination remotely. At the same time, Sarah's connection to Swagger is uncovered, and she is abducted by Payne. In Virginia, Swagger and Memphis infiltrate Sczerbiak's estate, who reveals Johnson works for U.S. Senator Charles Meachum on behalf of oil conglomerates exploiting developing nations for profit. Swagger and Fenn had unknowingly covered PMCs who massacred an entire village on the Eritrea–Ethiopia border to make way for pipelines, and were deliberately abandoned as part of the cover-up. Johnson then ordered Sczerbiak to assassinate Mutumbo, who was going to discuss the massacre during his speech, to prevent Johnson's crimes against humanity from being revealed to the public. Sczerbiak also informs Swagger about Sarah's abduction, and then commits suicide as mercenaries close in on the estate. With Sczerbiak's confession recorded, Swagger and Memphis fight their way out and escape to Montana, tip off the FBI, and arrange a private meeting with Meachum and Johnson. Johnson, Meachum, and their men arrive at the meeting point on a snowy mountaintop, with Sarah held hostage. Memphis acts as a decoy, allowing Swagger to eliminate Johnson's sharpshooters and rescue Sarah, in which Sarah guns down Payne after the hell he put her through. Meachum cryptically implies he is not the only politician involved and arrogantly tells Swagger to give up. Deducing that the proof will get them murdered as witnesses, Swagger destroys the recording as the FBI arrests him. Swagger requests a plea hearing with United States Attorney General Russert. With Memphis's assistance, Swagger reveals that his personal rifles, including the supposed murder weapon, have all had their firing pins replaced, making them unusable. Johnson's men had stolen the rifle, retrieved a previous fired practice bullet and paper-patched it for Mutumbo's assassination, and planned to frame Swagger. Swagger's name is cleared, and Memphis also provides Russert with evidence cataloging Johnson's involvement in the village massacre and other crimes, but no legal action may be taken against him as the crimes fall outside U.S. jurisdiction. Afterwards, Russert casually hints that extrajudicial measures may be necessary to address the corruption before ordering Swagger's release. Boasting impunity at a private gathering, Meachum, Johnson and their associates discuss their next operation, but Swagger attacks the villa and kills them all. He frames the dead Johnson as the assailant, and ruptures the gas line causing a gas explosion before leaving the area with Sarah.