Begins by recapitulating the final scene of Henry IV, Part III with Edward IV being crowned king. In the background of the celebration, Richard jealously views the proceedings. Soon afterwards, Edward IV is murdered, drowned in a vat of wine. Richard becomes king and, after proceeding with a succession of intrigues and duplicities, he finds his kingdom in dire peril, set upon by Henry Tudor and mustering a final defense for his realm at the Battle...

An out-of-work American writer, Holly Martins, arrives in post-war Vienna that has been divided into sectors by the victorious allies, and where a shortage of supplies has led to a flourishing black market. He has come to join his old friend Harry Lime, who has offered him a job. On arrival he discovers that Lime has recently dies in a traffic accident. In talking to Lime's friends and associates, Martins notices that their stories are inconsistent,...