The film is about a teen hacker seeking revenge for his father's murder becomes a pawn in a plot to derail the 2016 presidential election.

[2][3] Inspired by Haskell Wexler's seminal film Medium Cool, American Thief straddles fiction and documentary as its protagonists all become pawns in a plot to derail the 2016 presidential election.

Diop, a teenage hacker, wants to awaken society to the reality of overreaching government surveillance programs, while fellow-hacker Toncruz wants to use the technology to avenge his father's murder.

As Toncruz connects with internet criminals on the deep web, Paul, a disgruntled vlogger, rants about political conspiracy theories.

The film mixes documentary and fiction as it covers the events surrounding the election of Donald Trump in 2016.