It is not necessary to know that this story is based on a true incident in order to enjoy it; in real life, a man landed in a major European airport without the necessary papers, and while authorities worked (slowly, ever-so slowly) to resolve his citizenship status, he lived and worked there, unable to leave either by air or by foot. This situation lasted for years. In the current movie, Arturo (Jean Rochefort) has flown into France from Montreal. He holds dual French and Canadian citizenship, but all his papers were stolen from him while he was at the Canadian airport without his knowledge. He is married to a Spanish woman and lives in Rome. This confusion of visas and nationalities is too great for the authorities to sort out quickly, and he settles into a behind-the-scenes existence at the airport while he awaits developments. There, he discovers a whole international community of the stranded, a nation-within-a-nation.
~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide