Brittany, 1770. The artist Marianne arrives at a coastal estate to secretly paint a portrait of Héloïse, which is needed for her fiancé in Milan. Héloïse refuses to sit for the portrait in protest against the arranged marriage. Marianne poses as a companion for walks and paints the portrait from memory. Spending more and more time alone together, the two women grow close. Gradually, their professional relationship evolves into a passionate mutual attraction, becoming for both their final moments of freedom.