Year 1977. After a divorce, director David Howard leaves his family in London and travels to Stockholm. With his friend Markus Vogler, his wife Marianne and their daughter Isabelle, he compares himself to Markus' successful career and happy family life. During the summer, David visits them at their summer house. There, something is set in motion between him and Marianne that will prove to have painful consequences for both them and their families.

Present: An aged David is shaken by the news that Marianne is hospitalized in Backa after a suicide attempt. This leads to a meeting that awakens memories and forces them both to confront the past. In 1977, David has moved back to Stockholm to work. He offers Marianne the lead role in his new film Susanna. While Markus is away, David spends the night at Marianne's, and a proposal from him pushes the boundaries between them.

Year 1978: During the filming of the erotic film Susanna, David and Marianne grow closer. While working on the film, Marianne's daughter Isabelle happens to witness something that was not meant for her eyes - an event that makes her both angry and hurt. Present: David and Marianne reflect on their relationships with their respective children and on everything that was lost.

Present. Marianne disappears. In his search for her, David visits the now adult Isabelle. Out at Sandbukta, old memories are brought to life. Year 1978. The screening of the explicit film upsets the Vogler family. David and Marianne travel to a film festival and the tension between them reaches its peak. David asks questions without being ready for the answers.

Year 1979. After the mishap at the film festival, the relationship between David and Marianne is cold. Marianne is surprised that David will direct Fröken Julie at the City Theatre where she works. The relationship between them is rekindled and they begin to meet in secret. At Isabelle's birthday party, they have difficulty staying away from each other, and the consequences of their affair soon catch up with them.

Year 1980. Marianne and Markus are in the process of divorcing and trying to come to an agreement on custody of Isabelle. A nighttime meeting between them has fatal consequences. At the trial, Marianne tells what happened. Present. David and Marianne talk about their past. David is shaken when he hears Marianne's version of their shared history.