这是一个上世纪20年代的真实故事。朵拉（艾玛·汤普森 Emma Thompson饰）是英国文艺圈里的一名画家，她长相帅气，心中有着世俗无法理解的感情观；同样的性格也可以在作家利顿（乔纳森·普雷斯 Jonathan Pryce 饰）身上看到。他们心灵相通，互相寄托着真爱，却又同时在其他人身上寻找慰藉。利顿在爱上朵拉的同时，也对另一名男子帕特里奇（史蒂芬·威丁顿 Steven Waddington 饰）钟情，于是，朵拉选择了嫁给帕特里奇，从而留住心爱的利顿。当帕特里奇的朋友杰罗（塞缪尔·韦斯特Samuel West 饰）远道而来后，朵拉和这个新来的朋友很快就打得火热。终此一生，他们都在不同的角色中间游走，当利顿病逝后，朵拉也结束了自己的生命。也许朵拉和利顿心中的真爱，已经交付给彼此。The story of the relationship between painter Dora Carrington and author Lytton Strachey in a World War One England of cottages and countryside. Although platonic due to Strachey's homosexuality, the relationship was nevertheless a deep and complicated one. When Carrington did develop a more physical relationship with soldier Ralph Partridge, Strachey was able to welcome him as a friend, although Partridge remained somewhat uneasy, not so much with Strachey's sexual orientation as with the fact that he was a conscientious objector.