The Red Violin has a lasting hold on all the lives it has touched. From its creation in 17th century Italy, to the courts of Imperial Vienna in 1790, to Victorian England, to the People's Republic of China in the 1960's, and finally, to a modern day auction house in Montreal, the violin has been at the center of controversy, adventure, love and passion. It is the mythical power of this unique instrument that draws Charles Mortiz (Samuel L. Jackson) into its web and incites him to action, just days before it is to be auctioned off.