Jordan Belfort starts a job as a stockbroker on Wall Street, but the Black Monday crash of 1987 soon leaves him unemployed. Not deterred by the setback, Belfort takes a job at a boiler room brokerage firm that specializes in penny stocks in Long Island. With his aggressive pitching style and the high commissions, he quickly amasses a fortune, earning the firm a small fortune as well. His charismatic, persuasive tactics and hunger for wealth lead him to start his own firm, Stratton Oakmont. Together with his trusted friend and business partner Donnie Azoff, Belfort recruits a team of ambitious salespeople who are taught his high-pressure sales techniques.

The firm becomes infamous for its brazen attitude, unscrupulous sales tactics, and wild office culture. As they drum up business and manipulate the market for enormous profit, Belfort's personal life soars to decadent heights, filled with parties, drugs, and extravagances. His success catches the attention of the FBI, which becomes suspicious of his meteoric rise and the legality of his operations. Belfort and his team go to great lengths to hide their questionable activities, spiraling deeper into a world of deception and corruption. As the pressure from law enforcement mounts, the foundation of his empire begins to wobble, threatening to topple his life of opulence and power.