Hamlet (Ethan Hawke) is an updated, very modern version of the Shakespearean character, living in New York City and surrounded by technology and skyscrapers. He yearns for Ophelia (Julia Stiles) while mourning his dead father (Sam Shepard) and being hurt by the new relationship between his mother, Gertrude (Diane Venora), and stepfather, Claudius (Kyle MachLachlan). Hamlet's friend Horatio (Karl Geary) helps him while Hamlet also clashes with Ophelia's brother Laertes (Liev Schreiber) and their hapless father, Polonius (Bill Murray). Also, Hamlet's friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (Steve Zahn and Dechen Thurman) are duped by Gertrude and Claudius into an attempt to betray Hamlet, who is trying to find out how his father really died.