Edward Lemuel is a socially awkward struggling actor with
neurofibromatosis that manifests as a disfiguring facial condition. He befriends his new neighbor Ingrid Vold, an aspiring
playwright, but is too nervous to act on his romantic feelings towards her. He secretly undergoes an experimental medical treatment to cure him of his condition. Seeing that it has worked, he assumes the identity of "Guy Moratz" and claims that Edward has killed himself, instead of continuing to report to his doctors. Some time later, "Guy" is now a wealthy and successful
real estate agent. One day, he discovers that Ingrid is producing
Edward, an
off-Broadway play that she has written based on his life. Using an old cast mask of his original face that was given to him by the doctors, he uses it to audition and is cast in the lead role after some initial questioning from Ingrid. Edward and Ingrid begin a sexual relationship soon thereafter, though Ingrid remains unaware of the truth of his identity. During rehearsals, they are visited by Oswald, a man also with neurofibromatosis who has taken an interest in the play. The confident and charismatic Oswald quickly befriends the cast and crew, although Edward is perturbed by his outgoing demeanor. One night, Ingrid asks Edward to wear the mask during sex; he hesitantly obliges until she abruptly laughs it off as "fucked up." Ingrid and Oswald grow closer, and after Edward is unable to memorize his lines, she decides to recast Oswald in the lead role and make rewrites based on Oswald's feedback. The play is a success, and Oswald's performance receives rave reviews. Edward's mental state begins to deteriorate: he begins stalking Oswald, erratically starts acting like Oswald using the mask, and is fired from his real estate job. He eventually storms the stage of the play one night to physically attack Oswald. During the scuffle, part of the set falls on Edward, breaking his legs and arms. While he recovers from his injuries, he moves back into his former apartment next to Ingrid, who is now living with Oswald and making plans to adapt
Edward into a film with
Michael Shannon in the title role. One day, after Edward's physical therapist expresses disgust for Oswald, Edward stabs him and is jailed. Years later, an aged Edward once again encounters Oswald. He has dinner with Oswald and Ingrid, who are planning their retirement to a
commune in Canada. They reveal that the
Edward film adaptation fell through and the two look back on the play with disdain. A waiter arrives to take their orders, but a visibly nervous Edward struggles to choose from the menu. Oswald jokes that "Edward" has not changed a bit. ==Cast==