When Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (Keira Knightley) marries the successful Parisian writer Willy (Dominic West), her life is transformed: she moves from rural France to turbulent Paris and becomes part of the intellectual and cultural elite. Willy, plagued by writer’s block, convinces his young wife to work for him as a ghostwriter. In her debut novel, Colette tells the story of a self-confident, young woman named Claudine. The work os a semi-autobiographical novel that becomes a bestseller under Willy’s name, bringing him boundless wealth and fame. More and more Claudine bestsellers emerged – each written by Colette – until finally the pair have built an entire commercial world around the brand. Little by little, Colette begins the struggle to overcome social constraints and to reveal herself as the true author of this success.