At a media-swamped party to celebrate his seventieth birthday and screen his avant-garde film-in-progress, a legendary but jaded Hollywood director is faced both with voracious fans and unsettling questions about what became of his lead actor.

John Huston
as J.J. 'Jake' Hannaford

Oja Kodar
as The Actress

Peter Bogdanovich
as Brooks Otterlake

Susan Strasberg
as Juliette Rich

Norman Foster
as Billy Boyle

Robert Random
as Oscar 'John' Dale

Lilli Palmer
as Zarah Valeska

Edmond O'Brien
as Pat Mullins

Mercedes McCambridge
as Maggie Noonan

Cameron Mitchell
as Matt "Zimmie" Zimmer