A young American woman Milena, (Theresa Russell) In Vienna, is taken to hospital after apparently overdosing. With her Alex Linden (Art Garfunkel), a psychiatrist is also with her. It is soon revealed that Milena suffers from depression and is married to a man, Stefan Vognic (Denholm Elliott), much older than she. She used to see him at times. Linden is attracted to her open behavior at first, but slowly grows weary of her way of life and relationships with more men and excessive drinking. He tries to manage her. At the hospital, an investigator, Inspector Netusil (Harvey Keitel) understands that there may be some serious issues behind the case and that it is not a mere suicide attempt. He explores and tries to expose the truth.