
In this story, Laszlo Toth, played by Adrien Brody, is the main character known as The Brutalist. Originally from Hungary, he arrives in post-war America penniless but finds refuge with his cousin Attila (Alessandro Nivola). Attila offers him a job at Miller & Sons, a furniture store, where Laszlo designs chairs that attract customers. This leads to a commission from the son of wealthy industrialist Harrison Van Buren (Guy Pearce) to redesign his library as a surprise birthday gift. However, Van Buren is furious upon returning early and finding strangers renovating his home without his approval. Later, intrigued by Laszlo’s reputation as an architect back in Hungary, Van Buren offers him a substantial sum along with the promise to bring Laszlo’s wife Erzebet (Felicity Jones) and orphaned niece Zsofia (Raffey Cassidy) to America if he designs and builds a community center in honor of his late mother.