The young journalist Gareth Jones (James Norton) gained fame by writing an article about his meeting with Adolf Hitler, immediately after he took power in 1933. Now the ambitious Welshman is preparing for another big topic - the rapid modernization of the Soviet Union. To investigate the matter thoroughly, the reporter decides to travel to Moscow to interview Stalin. On the spot he meets the young journalist Ada Brooks (Vanessa Kirby), working for Walter Duranty (Peter Sarsgaard), thanks to whom he discovers that the truth about the Stalinist regime is brutally suppressed by Soviet censors. Hearing alarming rumors about the great famine in the USSR, Jones goes on a lonely journey through Ukraine. The journalist becomes an eyewitness to the Holodomor tragedy. Millions of people are starving, while tons of grain are sold abroad to finance the industrialization of the Soviet empire. After returning to London, Jones writes an article showing the horror he experienced. The publication is muted and its authenticity undermined by Western journalists who are influenced by the Kremlin. Despite the deadly threats, Gareth continues to fight for the truth. He decides to share his discoveries with a young, aspiring writer - George Orwell.