MAJESTY

In 1869, San Francisco has lost the romantic allure of the Gold Rush. In a city gripped by unemployment, poverty, and prejudice, a strange man appears dressed in a tattered military uniform and a feathered hat. “I am Norton I, Emperor of the United States!” Handing out counterfeit banknotes bearing his own portrait and issuing absurd decrees calling for the dissolution of the incompetent Congress, he is dismissed by the public as a madman. Arthur Clive, a perpetually struggling junior reporter, sees an opportunity to turn this eccentric figure into a sensational story that could shake the world. He willingly declares himself the Emperor’s loyal subject. When riots and a fire erupt in Chinatown, Norton alone manages to rescue a young girl. But Officer O’Neill takes credit for the heroic act, and Arthur soon uncovers a hidden truth about Norton’s past. Ultimately, Norton finds himself confined to a mental asylum...