過氣電影講師莫德(華萊士尚恩 飾)與任職電影公關的妻子舒(珍娜姬遜 飾)一起來到西班牙參加聖塞巴斯蒂安影展，但電影加上陽光與海灘都未能讓莫德享受其中，皆因他此行只是為了牢牢看緊與法國型男導演菲烈(路易斯加爾 飾)過從甚密的妻子，以防她紅杏出牆。

菲烈的新作在影展中大獲好評，莫德只覺俗不可耐，他懷緬昔日電影經典，沉醉於褒曼、費里尼、高達、杜魯福、布紐爾等大師之作。他對菲烈的非議，進一步加劇了夫妻間的磨擦，意興闌珊之際竟遇上天涯淪落人—心臟科醫生祖安娜(艾蓮娜安娜雅 飾)跟他志趣相投，亦因婚姻不美滿而深明莫德的苦況。當舒終日與菲烈形影不離，莫德亦與祖安娜成了忘年之交，更讓他重拾了對經典電影的熱情，在光影之中找回對未來的希望。

Cinema devotee Mort Rifkin (Wallace Shawn) accompanies his publicist wife Sue (Gina Gershon) to the San Sebastian Film Festival in Spain, worried that her fascination with her young film director client, Philippe (Louis Garrel), might be more than professional. In addition, Mort hopes the change of scenery will provide a respite from his struggle to write a first novel that lives up to his impossibly exacting standards. Turned off by the lavish praise showered on Philippe’s film, which he considers banal, Mort becomes preoccupied with the cinema classics he once taught as a professor, by masters like Bergman, Fellini, Godard, Truffaut, and Buñuel. Mort’s relentlessly dismissive opinions of Philippe, Sue’s current focus as a professional and someone she greatly admires, strains their already frayed relationship. Mort’s mood lightens when he meets Dr. Jo Rojas (Elena Anaya), a kindred spirit whose marriage to tempestuous painter Paco (Sergi López) is also causing her pain. While Mort’s personal tastes have sometimes pushed people away, Jo’s intellect and shared sensibility draw them closer together. While Sue spends her days with Philippe, Mort’s relationship with Jo deepens and he rekindles his love for classic films. Reflecting on the events of his life through the prism of those great movies, Mort finds renewed hope for his future.