A young woman is courted and swept off her feet, only to realize a gothic conspiracy is afoot.

After marrying a successful Parisian writer known commonly as "Willy" (Dominic West), Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (Keira Knightley) is transplanted from her childhood home in rural France to the intellectual and artistic splendor of Paris. Soon after, Willy convinces Colette to ghostwrite for him. She pens a semi-autobiographical novel about a witty and brazen country girl named Claudine, sparking a bestseller and a cultural sensation. After its success, Colette and Willy become the talk of Paris...

An unusual road trip beginning in the Netherlands takes a series of unexpected turns through Germany and Eastern Europe.