Aspiring photographer Therese is working at a Manhattan department store during the busy Christmas period when she first encounters Carol, an alluring older woman whose marriage is breaking down. Ambushed by their sudden attraction, the two women gravitate toward each other despite the threat their connection poses to both Therese's relationship with her partner and Carol's custody of her beloved daughter.

Todd Haynes' (May December) drama is a deeply romantic, emotionally honest love story about two women who courageously defy the suffocating conformities of mid-century America.