The story of the heiress Doris Duke (Susan Sarandon) and her homosexual butler Bernard Lafferty (Ralph Fiennes) is unfolded in this film. Upon the firing of her previous butler, Lafferty is sent over from the agency with glowing recommendations from the likes of Liz Taylor and Peggy Lee. Rafferty, as she calls him, is a quiet man hiding a secret of alcoholism and homosexuality. As she gradually comes to trust Lafferty, she encourages him to be her openly gay alter ego, while he helps her manager her affairs. The two quickly become fast friends and confidantes and the story of their unlikely friendship, and Lafferty's eventual role as executor of her estate, is explored in this film.