The Phoenician Scheme (2025) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Zsa-Zsa recruits his daughter Liesl to assist with 'The Phoenician Scheme' because he needs someone he trusts to help execute his plan to take over businesses in Phoenicia through slave labor. Since he has nine sons he rarely sees and his relationship with Liesl is strained but potentially salvageable, he chooses her as his heir and partner. He also subjects Bjorn to a polygraph test to ensure loyalty before bringing Liesl into his dangerous world.

Foreshadowing: Earlier scenes show Zsa-Zsa's isolation from his family, making his sudden need for a trusted partner logical.

• zsa-zsa
• liesl
• heir
• business partner
• phoenician scheme

The Phoenician Scheme is Zsa-Zsa's plan to take control of various businesses in Phoenicia through illegal means, specifically using slave labor. The scheme is meticulously documented in five separate shoeboxes, each containing evidence of his criminal dealings. This ambitious plan attracts the attention of Excalibur, an organization dedicated to dismantling his criminal enterprise.

Foreshadowing: The afterlife judgment scene establishes Zsa-Zsa's reputation as 'Mr. Five Percent' involved in shady dealings, making the scheme's criminal nature clear.

• phoenician scheme
• shoebox
• slave labor
• criminal enterprise

Liesl harbors deep reservations about working with her father due to his long absence from her life and unsettling rumors that he was responsible for her mother's death. She is a nun with a strong moral compass, making it difficult for her to align with his criminal operations. Zsa-Zsa implores her to assist him, but she struggles with trusting someone who abandoned her and potentially caused her mother's demise.

Foreshadowing: The tense reunion scene establishes their strained relationship early on.

• liesl
• mother death
• family conflict
• nun
• reluctance

Zsa-Zsa is accused of murdering Liesl's mother, though he denies any involvement. Later, Zsa-Zsa reveals to Liesl that her mother was actually killed by his own brother, Nubar. This revelation motivates Liesl to continue the mission, not to help her father's criminal enterprise, but to seek justice against Nubar for murdering her mother.

Foreshadowing: The afterlife confrontation with Zsa-Zsa's three wives hints at his troubled marital history.

• liesl mother
• nubar
• murder
• family secret

During a tense negotiation at Marseille Bob's nightclub, a guerilla unit led by Sergio opens fire. Zsa-Zsa heroically takes a bullet meant for Bob, which helps secure the alliance he needs for his Phoenician Scheme. This act of sacrifice demonstrates Zsa-Zsa's ability to form crucial business relationships through both cunning and genuine risk.

Foreshadowing: The earlier scene establishing Bob as an important contact foreshadows why this alliance matters.

• marseille bob
• shooting
• alliance
• sacrifice

Bjorn is introduced as a Norwegian tutor hired to help Zsa-Zsa, but he is later revealed to be a spy working for an organization. During an emergency plane crash when the pilot is poisoned and they come under fighter jet attack, Bjorn's true identity as a spy is exposed. Despite this revelation, he remains protective of Liesl and eventually leaves his espionage ties behind to pursue teaching and propose to her.

Foreshadowing: The polygraph test scene hints at Zsa-Zsa's suspicion about Bjorn's loyalty.

• bjorn
• spy
• norwegian tutor
• excalibur

Nubar is Zsa-Zsa's brother who harbors deep resentment and complicated family dynamics. He is revealed to be the actual murderer of Liesl's mother, which Zsa-Zsa finally confronts him about in his study. Their confrontation escalates to violence, resulting in Nubar's demise. The betrayal stems from years of family rivalry and the burden of keeping secrets about Liesl's mother's death.

Foreshadowing: The shoebox scenes gradually reveal the fractured family history between the brothers.

• nubar
• brother
• betrayal
• murder
• family conflict

Excalibur leads an organization determined to dismantle Zsa-Zsa's criminal empire. After judging him in a surreal afterlife sequence, the organization works to eliminate him through assassination attempts. They also manipulate the market price of Zsa-Zsa's goods, specifically bashable rivets, to increase his desperation and force him to hasten his plans. Many governments want Zsa-Zsa dead due to his illegal activities including tax evasion and bribery.

Foreshadowing: The opening bomb attack on Zsa-Zsa's plane establishes the constant threat against his life.

• excalibur
• assassination
• market manipulation
• criminal enterprise

After surviving the plane crash, Zsa-Zsa experiences a surreal afterlife where he faces judgment from a mysterious group led by Excalibur for his numerous shady business practices, earning him the nickname 'Mr. Five Percent.' This sequence establishes his guilty conscience and sets up the moral theme of redemption that runs through the film. He also encounters the specters of his three former wives who confront him about his relationship with Liesl.

Foreshadowing: This supernatural element foreshadows Zsa-Zsa's eventual change of heart.

• afterlife
• judgment
• excalibur
• mr five percent

Throughout the film, Zsa-Zsa confronts the consequences of his moral corruption, including family betrayal, the truth about his brother's actions, and his own guilt. After his business empire crumbles, he chooses to run a humble restaurant called Chez Zsa-Zsa with Liesl instead of continuing his criminal operations. This shift represents his attempt to rectify past mistakes and embrace a different path, choosing family over crime.

Foreshadowing: The recurring theme of guilt and the afterlife judgment hint at his eventual redemption.

• redemption
• restaurant
• chez zsa-zsa
• family
• business change

Liesl writes to the Mother Superior at various points throughout the film to express her concerns about her father's spiritual state and her own moral struggles. As a nun, she grapples with participating in her father's criminal activities while questioning whether God is present in Zsa-Zsa's life. Her final letter reflects on the tumultuous events and her desire to move on from the past.

Foreshadowing: Her religious background provides the moral tension that drives many of her decisions.

• liesl
• mother superior
• nun
• religion
• moral struggle

The five shoeboxes contain the meticulous documentation of Zsa-Zsa's criminal schemes for The Phoenician Scheme. Each shoebox represents a different phase or aspect of his plan to take over businesses through slave labor. Shoebox #1 involves negotiations with Prince Farouk and financier brothers, Shoebox #2 shows an afterlife reflection with his three wives, and subsequent shoeboxes reveal family dynamics including cousin Hilda and the confrontation with brother Nubar.

Foreshadowing: The shoeboxes serve as both the structural framework and the evidence of his crimes.

• shoebox
• documentation
• phoenician scheme
• evidence

During Shoebox #1, Zsa-Zsa meets with Prince Farouk and financier brothers Leland and Reagan (played by Tom Hanks and Bryan Cranston) to settle contractual disputes. Tensions rise when Zsa-Zsa alters their contract without consent, and they propose a basketball game known as H-O-R-S-E to settle their disagreements. The game provides comic relief while showcasing Zsa-Zsa's confidence, with Farouk scoring the final shot to ease tensions.

Foreshadowing: This scene establishes the high-stakes negotiation style that characterizes Zsa-Zsa's business dealings.

• basketball
• horse
• farouk
• financiers
• contract dispute