When a new student starts in Professor Hundert's class, little does the professor know that this student will change his life forever. They start out butting heads and end up forming a friendship that will shake the controlled world of the professor. The lessons learned will last a lifetime.

Based on the short story "The palace thief" by Ethan Canin. Special features: the making of "The emperor's club"; a look behind-the-scenes featuring director Michael Hoffman and cast; in-depth feature commentar with Michael Hoffman; deleted scenes with commentary from director Michael Hoffman; DVD-ROM features.