Robber baron Norman Henry and his wife Marian prepare to receive Thomas Edison at their country estate to discuss a lucrative business deal, on the same day a mysterious French artist also arrives for a special painting commission.

Celebrity model Evelyn Nesbit is invited to seek refuge at the Henry Estate from the ambush of press after her husband murders Stanford White at Madison Square Garden. While Norman fends off questions about his financial state, Marian and The Artist strike up a close dynamic, before she makes a shocking discovery of his real identity.