In her forties, childless, and living alone, Karolina Andersson feels adrift after the breakup of a long relationship. She finds fulfilment in her work, and when she starts advising a new postgraduate student, she is struck by his confidence. He claims to have discovered new materials from a female artist working around 1900 that could change the history of Swedish visual arts. Karolina soon finds herself embroiled in a complex game with both emotional and professional consequences.