In postwar Vienna, Austria, Holly Martins, a writer of pulp Westerns, arrives penniless as a guest of his childhood chum Harry Lime, only to learn he has died. Martins develops a conspiracy theory after learning of a \"third man\" present at the time of Harry\'s death, running into interference from British officer Major Calloway, and falling head-over-heels for Harry\'s grief-stricken lover, Anna.

In postwar Vienna, Austria, Holly Martins, a writer of pulp Westerns, arrives penniless as a guest of his childhood chum Harry Lime, only to learn he has died. Martins develops a conspiracy theory after learning of a \"third man\" present at the time of Harry\'s death, running into interference from British officer Major Calloway, and falling head-over-heels for Harry\'s grief-stricken lover, Anna.