At the staging of a musical production based on his life story, songwriter Cole Porter (Kevin Kline) begins to reflect on his life and career. As he trades notes with the play's director, Gabe (Jonathan Pryce), Porter recollects his meteoric rise on Broadway during the mid-1920s and his first meeting with wife and muse Linda Thomas (Ashley Judd). He also recalls his many extramarital, homosexual dalliances, and the deep depression and seclusion of his final years.