Nicolas Roeg's film is told in flashback as American psychoanalyst Alex (Art Garfunkel) sits by the hospital bed of Milena (Theresa Russell). Alex and Milena, a fellow American, met in Vienna where he was a lecturer and embarked on a passionate affair. However, Milena does not believe in monogamy and had several affairs which made Alex become very possessive. Eventually Milena is hospitalised by a drugs overdose and Alex has to recount their story to the local policeman (Harvey Keitel). Was it really an overdose or something else?