The story of Martha Graham's life and art is told through the eyes of a fictitious documentary filmmaker Barbara Rosen. Martha, notoriously camera shy in real life, reluctantly agrees to let Barbara be the first person to film her creating her new ballet Phaedra, mainly because her new dance company desperately needs money to stage her new season. Initially resistant, she slowly opens up to Barbara, inviting her into her tempestuous world, and letting us see her life of passion and dance.