PULP

British writer Mickey King lives in Malta churning out violent, sexually charged pulp fiction novels under an array of lewd pen names such as "S. Odomy". King is approached to ghostwrite the autobiography of a mystery celebrity. Intrigued by the offer, King agrees and is told to go on a package tour, during which time a representative for the celebrity will make contact with him. King meets an American man named Miller, who identifies himself as a college professor. King assumes Miller is the mysterious contact but then discovers Miller dead in his bathtub after a hotel room mix-up.

The next day, Miller's body has mysteriously vanished and the real representative, a young woman named Liz, makes contact. King is taken to meet his subject: Preston Gilbert, a retired Hollywood star living in exile. Gilbert is known for portraying gangsters in movies and for his off-screen associations with real life mobsters. Revealing that he has been given a terminal cancer diagnosis, the pompous, vain Gilbert wants King to document his life story before he dies.

Gilbert and King attend a party. Among the attendees is Princess Betty Cippola, the wife politician Prince Cippola who seems to have a connection with Gilbert. After Gilbert has staged a practical joke and the party is underway, Miller returns disguised as a Catholic priest. Sensing danger, King flees as Miller opens fire, killing Gilbert. Party guests assume it's another of Gilbert's pranks and applaud as Gilbert dies.

As Gilbert's funeral is held, King pieces together the mystery. He discovers that Gilbert was connected to the death of young woman Silvana Lepri many years earlier and that other powerful people, including Prince Cippola, were also involved. As King visits Silvana's grave, Miller appears once more and begins shooting. King is wounded but eventually kills Miller by running him down with a truck. As he recovers from his injuries, King realises that Prince Cippola tried to keep the scandal secret by killing Gilbert and him. He is warned to keep quiet about what he knows or he will face murder charges for Miller's death.

Mickey King uncovers that Preston Gilbert’s murder was orchestrated to cover up an old scandal, survives an attack from Miller, and is warned to keep silent or face murder charges.

The ending ties together the dangers lurking beneath the pulp surface: King’s brush with death and the threat of prosecution underscore how the world of crime and celebrity is both absurd and deadly serious. Truth remains buried as King is forced into silence, reflecting the film’s cynical take on notoriety, secrecy, and survival.