The Phoenician Scheme plot explained: What the Wes Anderson movie is really about

The Phoenician Scheme is a film in the dark comedy espionage genre. Wes Anderson directed The Phoenician Scheme and also penned the screenplay, with the story co-developed alongside Roman Coppola. The film is produced by Anderson, John Peet, Steven Rales, and Jeremy Dawson. Its official synopsis, as per Letterboxd, reads:

Wealthy businessman Zsa-zsa Korda appoints his only daughter, a nun, as sole heir to his estate. As Korda embarks on a new enterprise, they soon become the target of scheming tycoons, foreign terrorists, and determined assassins.

Since its release on May 30, 2025, The Phoenician Scheme has sparked considerable discussion around its plot. Here's a closer look at the story.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the film's plot.

What is the plot of The Phoenician Scheme?

The Phoenician Scheme revolves around a rich tycoon named Anatole Korda, also known as Zsa-Zsa (played by Benedict Cumberbatch). As he plans to retire, Korda appoints his only daughter, Sister Liesl (Mia Threapleton), as the heir to his empire. Liesl is a nun and has a different temperament from her father.

The story begins in the year 1950 when Korda survives an assassination attempt on him. After this, he tries to fix his relationship with his daughter and asks her to quit church and manage his business. As Korda tries to get laborers as slaves for a project in Phoenicia, authorities get alarmed and try to stop him. With Liesl and his assistant Bjørn Lund by his side, Korda starts meeting potential investors for his project to swindle some money out of them.

Korda tries every method in the playbook to woo the investors, by threatening, blackmailing, and manipulating them. However, they only agree to cover half the cost. Korda then tells his daughter that he saw his late wife after being hit by the bullet. She told him that Liesl was not his real daughter. Korda was also aware that his wife was having an affair with Nubar, his half-brother. But he lied to Nubar that she was also having an affair with his assistant. This led Nubar to kill her in a fit of rage.

Liesl is disturbed by these revelations, but he continues to help her father. Korda decides to marry Hilda, who is Nubar's cousin. While agreeing to the marriage, she does not increase the investment amount. Suddenly, Korda's flight crashes and he manages to survive. He realizes that Bjørn is working for a government agent. But now he has a change of heart as he loves Liesl. The latter has had enough, and she decides to quit the business and return to the Church. However, the mother's superior rejects her plea to return.

What happens at the end of The Phoenician Scheme?

A still from The Phoenician Scheme | Image via Focus Features

As The Phoenician Scheme reaches its conclusion, Zsa-Zsa undergoes a profound transformation after Liesl walks away from him. In an effort to make amends, he donates his entire fortune to rebuild Phoenicia, which had suffered due to his exploitative business plans. He abandons his earlier schemes, pays the workers fair wages, and chooses a humble life working in a kitchen he once owned.

Ultimately, the film serves as a darkly comic morality tale, using espionage tropes and absurdist storytelling to explore themes of redemption, legacy, and the cost of power.