In 1985, Bud Fox is working as a junior stockbroker at Jackson Steinem & Co. He wants to work with his hero, Gordon Gekko, a legendary Wall Street player. Bud visits Gekko on his birthday and, granted a brief interview, pitches him stocks, but Gekko is unimpressed. Desperate, Bud provides him some inside information about Bluestar Airlines, which Bud learned in a casual conversation from his father, Carl, the union leader for the company's workers. Gekko tells him he will think about it. A dejected Bud returns to his office where Gekko places an order for Bluestar stock and becomes one of Bud's clients. Gekko gives Bud some capital to manage, but the stocks Bud selects lose money.