Jo Adams can't speak of her late father, whom she watched die when she was a child. When her mother, novelist Hannah Adams, introduces Jo to English movie star Jeremy Stewart, instant attraction leads to a one-night stand, but Jo flees, afraid of commitment.

Through letters the couple reconnects, as Jo describes her grandparents' unsuccessful struggle to preserve their mixed marriage. Unable to commit to Jeremy, Jo resumes a loveless affair, while Jeremy's performance in There Is Something Here is touted for a Golden Globe. Yet in an act worthy of an Oscar, his true feelings remain hidden, his heart still pierced by the memory of his own loss.

As truths surface, layers of history intertwine in lives tainted from racism and intolerance. A man similar to Hannah's father, Jeremy is fighting for his sanity, not only the woman he loves.