Set in the world of the London stage in the late 1930s, reigning diva Julia Lambert's success and fame grow suddenly wearisome. She falls in love with a young American Tom Fennel and begins a passionate affair. When she realises that Tom is just a young social climber whose real passion is ambitious young starlet Avice Crichton, Julia begins to plot a delightful revenge.

For her performance in the film, Annette Bening won the "Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy" in the 2005 Golden Globe awards, and was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award and an Academy Award.