Set in the 1920s at the Swedish film studios where the great silent film director Victor Sjöström is finishing shooting 'The Phantom Carriage' and has invited author Selma Lagerlöf, actress Tora Teje and film photographer Julius Jaenzon to view the rushes. But, when both actress and writer claim to know the story and the characters best, a psychological battle arises which threatens to destabilise the whole project.