Tom Hanks plays Viktor Navorski, a man who has had the bad luck to fly into New York's JFK Airport on the day his (fictional Eastern European) country breaks out in war and ceases to exist in the eyes of the US Immigration service. He is unable to enter the USA on his (now invalid) passport, and he can not be deported either. He is forced to live in the airport until a solution can be found. The bulk of the movie features the adventures of Navorski as he makes a home for himself in the airport. Based on a true story.