Steve plays Mark Hogancamp, a man who barely survives being beaten by a gang of neo-Nazi thugs. He copes by making a World War 2 doll village called Marwen.
It includes a doll soldier based on HIM . . . and he's protected by the village's bad-ass women. All the dolls are based on real people he knows, including his attackers . . . and the movie contains CGI scenes of them in battle.
The most interesting thing about this story is that it's REAL. Or, I should say it's BASED ON reality. There really IS a Mark Hogancamp who was beaten by Nazis and created a World War 2 doll village populated by the people around him.
There's even a documentary about him called "Marwencol", which is the actual name of the village.