A young grifter (Tom Ripley) impersonates the colleague of a wealthy young man (Dickie Greenleaf), and is hired by his estranged father to bring him back to America from Italy. After meeting Dickie, and living abroad in Italy for a while, Tom falls in love with Dickies expat lifestyle, and is eventually unable to give it up, and return hto New York. Lies, fraud, and murder become the foundation of the life Tom wants for himself.
