In the wake of his eldest son's suicide, J. Paul Getty is left in dire need of a worthy heir. He sets his eyes on his grandson, who soon gets kidnapped.
With suspicions swirling around the kidnapping, J. Paul Getty sends Fletcher Chace to get to the bottom of what happened. J. Paul Getty's precautions to protect the rest of the family prove stifling.
A flashback reveals how the kidnapping came to be. Primo's attempt to prove that the kidnapping is not a hoax drives him to brutality.
Primo uses Gail to prove that the kidnapping is real. Finally convinced that his grandson's life is in peril, J. Paul Getty puts Chace in charge of the investigation.
Primo deals with an unexpected betrayal within his ranks. J. Paul Getty stubbornly refuses to accept help to bring his grandson back.
When a dead body turns up, the Getty family fears that they have lost one of their own. With mounting pressure from his other sons, J. Paul Getty finally gets a move on to bring his grandson home.
J. Paul Getty reflects on his relationship with his sons and grandson as he sets plans into motion to pay his grandson's ransom.
When J. Paul Getty unexpectedly backtracks during the ransom negotiations, his grandson's life hangs in the balance as a mobster aiming to prove himself considers drastic measures.
A gruesome delivery prompts Gail and James to go over J. Paul Getty's head in a desperate attempt to save young J. Paul Getty III's life before it's too late.
With J. Paul Getty III finally recovered and saved, his grandfather's relationship with the rest of the family continues to fray. Primo's plan to tie off loose ends leads to bloodshed.