Plot Synopsis

Based on Philip K. Dick's novel of the same name, THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE is a one-hour drama series that considers the question of what would have happened if the Allied Powers had lost World War II. Set in 1962 in a world that has been split between Japan and Germany, the former U.S. is divided into three regions: The Greater Nazi Reich covering the territory east of the Rockies; The Japanese Pacific States on the west coast; and a neutral zone in the middle, which is a lawless buffer between the world's two superpowers. But the tension between these two powers is mounting, and this stress is playing out in the fractured U.S., where the Resistance movement grows while spies, sellers of falsified goods, and others with secret identities co-exist. In San Francisco, Juliana Crain has been mostly content to live her life with her boyfriend, jewelry maker Frank Frink, who is forced to make replica American guns for the Japanese market looking to collect iconic items from American history. But Juliana's life changes after Trudy, her younger half-sister and member of the Resistance, is killed by the Kempeitai before she can deliver a film reel to the neutral zone's Man in the Castle, who is said to have created the movie and others like it. But before Trudy is murdered, she hands the film, "The Grasshopper Lies Heavy," to Juliana, who watches it and discovers a story detailing an Allied victory. Juliana comes to believe the film holds the key to freedom and becomes obsessed with finding The Man in the High Castle. Frank's fate hangs in the balance as he is held captive by the Kempeitai, while Juliana makes contact with a mysterious man who gives her a clue about the films. Meanwhile in New York, Joe Blake joins the resistance movement and heads west to Canon City in the neutral zone -- carrying a copy of the same film. Amazon debuted the pilot of THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE on January 15, 2015, and a month later the program was picked up for a full season. On October 24, 2015 -- four weeks before the official series premiere -- Amazon released another episode, "Sunrise," as a sneak peek of the 10-episode first season, which debuted in its entirety on Friday, November 20, 2015.

Season 2 of THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE premiered on Friday, December 16, 2016 at 3:01am ET/12:01am PT, as Amazon released all 10 episodes of the new season. The second season resumes with Juliana facing the consequences of her decision to betray the Resistance and allow Joe, a suspected Nazi agent, to escape the Pacific States with a film originally bound for the Man in the High Castle. Joe himself returns a hero to the Reich and finds himself thrust into the Nazi capital of Berlin, face to face with the father who abandoned him. Meanwhile, Frank becomes increasingly radicalized and drawn further into the resistance after seeing images of his own execution in the mysterious films. With political tensions mounting between Germany and Japan, Trade Minister Tagomi begins to regret his success in smuggling nuclear technology from the Reich and seeks solace in the strange new world he discovered at the end of Season 1. Meanwhile, Obergruppenfuhrer John Smith struggles to reconcile the values of the Reich with the deteriorating health of his son -- all while tasked with a mission from the Fuhrer for which failure is not an option. And Chief Inspector Kido begins to take greater interest in the Man in the High Castle, the films, and how Juliana is connected to it all.

The 10-episode third season of THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE premiered on Friday, October 5, 2018 at 3:01am ET/12:01am PT. Season 3 finds Juliana Crain grappling with her destiny after seeking safety in the Neutral Zone. Realizing that their fates are intertwined, she works with Trade Minister Tagomi to interpret the mystery of the last remaining films. Meanwhile, as tensions between the Reich and the Empire continue to rise, Joe Blake returns from Berlin and is sent on a diplomatic mission to San Francisco, where he and Juliana reunite and come to a turning point in their relationship. Also in the new season, Obergruppenfuhrer John Smith finds himself celebrated by Nazi high society, but political forces are closing in as North American Reischsmarschall Lincoln Rockwell and J. Edgar Hoover plot against him. Helen takes drastic action to protect her family while they struggle with the aftermath of Thomas' death, and Smith learns of a shocking and ambitious new Nazi program that has personal and global ramifications.
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The fourth and final season of THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE premiered on Friday, November 15, 2019 at 3:01am ET/12:01am PT, as Amazon Prime released the 10-episode new season. The Resistance becomes a full-blown rebellion, driven by Juliana Crain's visions of a better world. A new Black insurgent movement emerges to fight the forces of Nazism and imperialism. As empires teeter, Chief Inspector Takeshi Kido will find himself torn between his duty to his country and the bonds of family. Meanwhile, Reichsmarschall John Smith will be drawn towards the portal the Nazis have built to another universe, and the tantalizing possibility of stepping through a gateway to the path not taken.