This film tells the story of what happened in the art and theatre circles of New York in the 1930s. At that time, strikes broke out all over the United States, and the sprout of cultural innovation filled the whole of New York City. The film is made up of multiple stories woven together: Nelson. Rockefeller (Nelson Rockefeller) authorized Mexican artist Diego. Diego Rivera sold Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece to millionaires to fund Mussolini's war; a paranoid ventriloquist tried to disband his vaudeville troupe after he discovered that its members were all communists; 22-year-old director Orson. Orson Welles directed a play called "The Cradle Will Rock", which was forcibly banned by American soldiers on the night of the performance.