Brad Pitt leads an all-star cast in this action drama written and directed by Quentin Tarantino set in Europe during World War Two. In the first of two converging storylines, Shosanna (Mélanie Laurent), a young Jewish woman in occupied France, seeks to avenge the death of her parents by the Nazis after narrowly escaping execution herself and fleeing to Paris. There she creates a new identity for herself as the owner and manager of a cinema.

Meanwhile, a group of Jewish American soldiers known as 'The Basterds', led by First Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Pitt), joins forces with German actress and undercover agent Bridget von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger) to take down the leaders of The Third Reich. The Basterds cross paths with Shosanna when her cinema, which has been commandeered by the Nazis for the screening of their latest propaganda film, becomes the target for their next attack. However, unbeknownst to them, Shosanna has devised a revenge plan of her own...