Milos Forman directs this biopic, based on the play by Peter Shaffer, which tells the story of the composer Antonio Salieri (F. Murray Abraham) and his relationship to the man he later claims to have murdered, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Tom Hulce). Having already gained the confidence of the Emperor, Salieri is frustrated by the arrival of the genius Mozart, a man who quickly usurps his position in the court.

His frustration is magnified by both his disapproval of Mozart's vulgar behaviour and by the fact that it is he, more so than anyone else, who can appreciate the true beauty of the young composer's work. When Mozart dies under mysterious circumstances, can it really be Salieri who is to blame?