The wealthy suburb of Nirvana, California is home to a nuclear weapons production plant as well as the Nirvana Community Players. The local thespians have long dreamed of winning the annual award for the state’s best community theatre production. And this year artistic director Jonathan Sinclair—whose day job is designing missiles—is certain they will finally triumph with Noel Coward’s "Present Laughter". The one problem is the lead role: Jonathan can’t find the right actor to play Garry Essendine, the matinee idol at the center of Coward’s classic comedy.

Enter a man dressed as Mars, the Roman god of war. He wants to read for the part. And he blackmails Jonathan into casting him as Essendine, threatening to expose him for cheating on his wife and participating in a secret CIA project to provoke America’s next war. Desperate to save his career and his marriage—and to stay out of jail—Jonathan tries to convince the other core members of the theatre company that Mars, always in full regalia and answering to no other name, is perfect for the lead role in Present Laughter. Naturally, it’s a tough sell. Is “Mars” crazy? A terrorist? Or just a harmless eccentric with identity issues?

But Mars’ charm and personal magnetism are persuasive. He’s soon a local celebrity, inspiring high school students with classes and skits on Roman mythology. The clincher is a movie deal: a major studio decides to film the Nirvana Community Players’ production of "Present Laughter" – or rather an adaptation by Mars called "Present Slaughter" – as “reality theatre”. The new version is set in Roman times and stars Mars as a vain and sexually impotent Caesar obsessed with fighting imperial wars.

In the dramatic climax of this spoof on militarism and celebrity culture, violence intrudes and the boundaries between myth and reality blur….