Anna, an aging Czech movie star, comes to NYC seeking stateside stardom, only to find herself begging for meager roles. She takes in fellow Czech Krystyna, a young, beautiful peasant girl, and begins teaching her the ins and outs of the acting profession. But soon, Anna realizes she may have made a grave mistake. For the clever Krystyna not only becomes a screen star overnight, she steals her mentor's boyfriend, and adopts Anna's traumatic past as her own...