Raymond J. Cutter, a second-generation petty thief, portrayed by John Travolta, finds himself in a desperate situation as he arranges his early release from prison to spend valuable time with his ailing son, Will Cutter, played by Tye Sheridan. Despite having just 10 months left on his sentence, Ray persuades his lawyer to negotiate with the dangerous mafia head, Keegan, who is demanding $50,000 in owed bribes to facilitate the deal. To regain his freedom, Ray takes on a perilous job for Keegan that could put everything at risk.
Keegan pressures Ray to forge a Monet painting within a tight timeframe of three weeks. This painting will soon be displayed at a gallery, and Keegan intends for Ray to steal the original and replace it with the counterfeit. If Ray refuses the job, Keegan threatens to send him back to prison. Reluctantly, Ray accepts this criminal task, however, he insists that Keegan must have a painting from 1875, the same size as the original Monet that measures 40 inches by 32 inches.
In the midst of this chaos, Ray confronts the grim reality that Will, now a young adult, faces a terminal brain tumor that cannot be surgically removed, leaving him with limited time to live. This knowledge intensifies Ray's resolve to repay his debt to Keegan.
Meanwhile, Agent Paisley, expertly portrayed by Abigail Spencer, is on a mission to dismantle Keegan’s illicit operations. Having witnessed Ray's secretive meetings with Keegan, she seeks to gather evidence against him. Disguised as a party girl, Paisley approaches Ray but he dismisses her, unaware of her intentions. Along with her investigation into Ray’s criminal past, Paisley uncovers the truth about Ray’s early release from prison, a culmination of deception that leaves him oblivious that Keegan had betrayed him years ago.
As Ray teams up with his father, John Cutter, played by Christopher Plummer, to fulfill Keegan’s dangerous demand, he confesses the rationale behind his actions. The emotional tension between Ray and Will escalates, especially as they encounter the Make A Wish foundation, which grants wishes to terminally ill patients. Will, initially embarrassed by the situation, slowly starts to respect Ray after learning about his financial struggles for their time together. Ray decides to be the “genie” and offers to fulfill three wishes for Will, with the first being a chance to see Kim, Will’s estranged mother played by Jennifer Ehle, who abandoned them during Will's childhood.
Ray takes drastic measures to locate Kim, engaging in a physical confrontation with her former boyfriend to get her address. When he finally reunites Will with her, they share a meaningful day together at the park. When Will’s second wish involves a more adult desire, Ray, guided by the intention to support his son, leads him to an encounter that puts them in the crosshairs of Agent Paisley, who is keenly tracking their every move.
With the pressure mounting, Ray learns from a friend that Keegan is in trouble financially as his drug connections are unraveling. The situation becomes even more precarious when Paisley connects the dots of Ray's release being a consequence of Will’s illness. As Ray and Will dive deeper into their forgery project, Ray comes to terms with both the danger surrounding him and the urgency of fulfilling Will's final wish—to be a part of the heist.
On the day of the grand heist, Ray successfully creates the fake Monet and, utilizing his connections, skillfully navigates through the gallery's security. However, his triumph is short-lived as Keegan reveals his true intentions to betray him. Following this betrayal, a nefarious turn of events unfolds involving Carlos, a notorious drug kingpin, who claims the stolen painting. In the aftermath, Ray finds an opportunity to redeem himself, alerting Agent Paisley about the real Monet hidden within Carlos's hotel suite, a move that could potentially dismantle both Carlos and Keegan's corrupt empire while returning the precious artwork to its rightful place.
