A portrait of the Austrian artist Gustav Klimt whose lavish, sexual paintings came to symbolise the Art Nouveau style of the late 19th and early 20th century. Director Raúl Ruiz transports us back to the year 1918 where Gustav Klimt (John Malkovich) lies on his deathbed. We follow Klimt's feverish visions back to the Austrian pavilion at the 1900 World Exhibition in Paris, where he is awarded the gold medal for his work entitled "Philosophy". At the pavilion he encounters the film magician, Méliès, with the mysterious French dancer, Lea de Castro alongside the “Secretary", an oppressive fatherly figure who accompanies Klimt through the film like a shadow. Gustav Klimt's paintings have a fascinating expressiveness, passion, sensuality, and like his own life, are dedicated to women. Way ahead of his time, he was celebrated in Paris but condemned in his home town of Vienna for being provocative.