In her own lifetime, American poet, Emily Dickinson was completely unknown. Excited about the prospect of seeing her work in print, she sent samples of her poetry to a man of letters named Thomas Higginson, who she believed, would help in exposing her work to the public. The film opens when the two finally meet on August 16, 1870, after 8 years of corresponding. Emily has hopes that Higginson will endorse her work, but instead, he falls short in understanding her poetry and the woman behind it. Higginson's kind but misguided critiques dash Emily's dreams to pieces. Their private meeting eventually uncovers deep repressed feelings in Emily, brought on by a male dominated Victorian society. No one will ever really know what happened during that meeting. What is known is that Emily Dickinson never attempted to publish her poetry again. The film is a fictionalized account of that historic meeting.