本片改编自同名小说《A Hologram for the King》，男主角原来所在的自行车公司为了降低成本，获得更高利润，把工厂建在了中国。结果中国人学会了他们的技术，制造出了更有竞争力的产品，挤走了美国公司。男主角的老父对这件事感到很气愤，觉得那种为了利润而让中国人学走技术的做法是野兽行径。这样的看法在美国应该是相当普遍的，有纪录片去谴责中国制造，谴责美国公司把工厂建在中国，从而让美国人失业的做法。艾伦不断的回忆起自己父亲的质疑，人生中尴尬的演讲，还有他每晚都会查看的，背后的脓包。这些每个人的内心和身上都会存在问题，只不过在艾伦身上是具像化的，像女儿复述前妻的嘲讽：“无论他在哪里，他的问题都在这儿。”，而艾伦身陷难缠的婚姻和家庭关系，面临自己的职业危机和女儿的责任

This film is adapted from the novel of the same name "A Hologram for the King", in order to reduce costs and obtain higher profits, the original bicycle company of the actor built a factory in China. As a result the Chinese learned their technology and made more competitive products, crowding out American companies. The actor's father was very angry about this incident, and felt that the practice of letting the Chinese learn technology for the sake of profit was a beastly act. This kind of view should be quite common in the United States. There are documentaries condemning Chinese manufacturing and the practice of American companies building factories in China, thereby making Americans unemployed. Allen kept recalling his father's doubts, the embarrassing speeches in his life, and the pustules on his back that he would check every night. Each of these people will have problems in their hearts and bodies, but it is concrete in Alan, like a daughter repeating the ridicule of his ex-wife: "No matter where he is, his problems are here." Difficult marriage and family relationship, facing his own career crisis and the responsibility of his daughter