Evocative and eloquent, this romantic thriller follows the fluctuating fortunes of Jean, a young amateur photographer with a passion for the art, who interviews to become the assistant of a renowned fashion photographer, Stéphane.
After he gets the job he learns that his boss lives in seclusion in a dilapidated house in the Paris suburbs, together with his daughter and muse Marie. Stéphane is obsessed with his wife's unexpected death and creates her daguerreotypes every day, using his daughter as a photomodel. In order for him to do so, Marie has to remain immobile for a long time, wearing an old-fashioned blue dress.
As Jean's relationship with Marie builds and blooms into love, he finds himself deeply disturbed by the long photo sessions and the imprisonment faced by Marie. Together with her, he tries to figure out how to free Stéphane from his obsession.
Jean decides to convince Stéphane to sell his real estate. The money received for the sale may be used to start a life elsewhere; both for Jean who wants to live with Marie and for the photographer who can recreate his photography studio. But things do not go as planned. What will the future hold in store for all three of them?