Often ridiculed, sorely misunderstood...the network marketing or Multi-Level Marketing industry is one of the most fascinating American phenomena as business and culture. Everybody has a story about a friend or family member hitting them up about "the next big thing" and the promise of "financial freedom". The Downline is a documentary that traces the roots of the business and follows four distributors as they make a go at a brand new MLM upstart. Shot over the course of its first year, The Downline takes you on a wild ride through the USA, Japan, China, Russia and Israel as both MLM veterans and new entrepreneurs try to realize their own definition of success.