In the 1930s, Count Almásy is a Hungarian map maker employed by the Royal Geographical Society to chart the vast expanses of the Sahara Desert along with several other prominent explorers. As World War II unfolds, Almásy enters into a world of love, betrayal, and politics.

In this black comedy feature film, David Hemblen plays Richard, a filmmaker who recounts the events leading to his collapse into madness, beginning with the infestation of his home by rats. Continually down on his luck, he convinces a broadcaster to fund a documentary on rats, which to him represent his disintegrating life. His progress is continually interrupted by set backs and further rat infestations, until one night he discovers another documentary has beaten him to the punch.