The Mastermind

In 1970, James Blaine 'J.B.' Mooney, an unemployed carpenter in Framingham, devises a scheme to steal four Arthur Dove paintings from the local art museum. He borrows money from his parents and even borrows money under the pretense of work to pay three men to pull off the heist. The getaway driver backs out after stealing a car, so J.B. ends up driving the two thieves to the museum.

Mooney drives the two thieves, Guy Hickey and Ronnie Gibson, to the museum where the four paintings are stolen. Gibson pulls a gun on a student and beats a security guard during the raid. The theft occurs at the local art museum in Framingham.

Mooney proudly displays one of the stolen paintings in his living room, but removes it after his father criticizes the thieves for their lack of ambition. He then builds a container to store the remaining paintings in the loft of a barn, keeping them out of sight. The family learns of the crime as police and the FBI begin questioning them.

Police and the FBI question the Mooney family after Gibson names J.B. Mooney as the mastermind of the heist. The revelation sets in motion the public unraveling of Mooney's plan.

J.B. denies involvement and asks his wife Terri to take their sons to his parents' house. Tommy resists leaving, adding strain to the family's attempt to cope with the investigation.

Guy calls J.B. to press for more money, pulling him deeper into the criminal scheme. The pressure underscores the danger surrounding the heist and foreshadows the eventual confrontation.

J.B. takes Tommy along to meet Guy, but the gathering is revealed to be a setup by an organized crime outfit that abducts him and forces him to lead them to the paintings' location.

After the abduction, J.B. hides with Fred and Maude, his art-school friends. Maude privately confronts him, deducing that he planned to use their old professor as a fence to sell the paintings.

J.B. rejects Fred's suggestion to hide out at his brother's Toronto commune and instead travels to Cleveland to stay with other friends, hoping to outrun the pursuit.

Upon arrival, he learns that the paintings were recovered and returned to the museum. He calls Terri to explain, but she hangs up when he asks for money, signaling the collapse of his support network.

Unable to afford travel back to Toronto, he steals an elderly woman's pocketbook and dissolves into a crowd of bystanders. The theft marks his continued descent as he tries to stay ahead of capture.

He escapes into a crowd of anti-Vietnam War protesters, but police violently break up the rally and arrest him along with several protesters, ignoring his objections as he is placed in the back of a police van.