Nicholas Van Orton (Michael Douglas), a ruthless, successful investment banker receives an unusual birthday present from his disreputable and nearly estranged brother Conrad (Sean Penn): a certificate from Consumer Recreation Services. Staid to the point of rigidity, the businessman is intrigued by the company and so goes to CRS for more information. As creators of customized 'games' designed to provide clients with rest and relaxation, the company administers numerous tests to determine Nicholas's personality type and preferences. Then they reject him as a customer and Nicholas returns to his life. But things are not the same. Accustomed to getting his own way all of the time, he finds himself plagued by strange and negative events. It doesn't take long before he figures out that he is indeed in the midst of a game and that his opponents are technical and intellectual masters. Despite their hindrance and his growing paranoia, Nicholas continues his tyrannical treatment of other people until the night when the gamesters take him beyond fear and place him in a strange world where nothing he has previously valued can help him.