In an undetermined future, the giant city of Metropolis is starkly divided between upper classes who live in luxury and the lower classes who toil under harsh conditions to maintain their wealth. Clarc Kent-son, son of Jon Kent, the Great Architect and apparent Master of Metropolis, becomes aware of Metropolis' social inequality after meeting Lois Lane, a teacher from the undercity. He joins the workers to experience their daily lives, then begs his father to improve their lot only to find that the Great Architect is unwilling to listen. In reality, the city is in thrall to the evil scientist Lutor, an old colleague of Jon Kent from the "time of smoke and soot" that came before the founding of Metropolis. Both Jon and Lutor fell in love with the same woman, Marta. When she chose Jon over Lutor, the scientist killed her, then used advanced hypnosis to turn Jon into a puppet who would allow Lutor to rule Metropolis from the shadows.