“Remember, do not be a hero. No piece of art is worth a human life.”

That’s what the various employees of a tony London auction house are told. But not all of them believe it. Simon (James McAvoy), for one. The young auctioneer must realize that double-crossing a serious criminal like Franck (Vincent Cassel), who’s always accompanied by heavies, could very well result in death. But Simon does it anyway — over a piece of art. It’s not that he’s a particular fan of Goya, or this particular painting. In fact, in one of the movie’s wry details, we learn that Simon probably hated Goya. But he has nothing against the many millions this piece of art is worth.