THE HUMAN STAIN is the story of Coleman Silk (Anthony Hopkins), a distinguished professor at a prestigious New England college whose professional life is shattered by allegations of racism and whose personal life is infected with cancer of a lie he has been living for fifty years.

His career and reputation in ruin, Silk begins a dynamic resurecction through two new relationships; one a friendship with the writer Nathan Zuckerman (Gary Sinise) whom he intrigues with his story, the other a scandalous affair with a young woman (Nicole Kidman).