Independent cinema darling and Cannes Palme d'Or-winning filmmaker Lola Cuevas (Penelope Cruz) is approached by ageing business mogul Humberto Suarez (Jose Luis Gomez) to make a film that he hopes will be his legacy for the world. Intended as an adaptation of a much-loved literary work, Cuevas has more experimental intentions than some turgid piece of heritage cinema. Given carte blanche over the casting she pits acclaimed but stiflingly snobbish 'Actor' Ivan Torres (Oscar Martinez) against handsome but superficial screen icon Felix Rivero (Antonio Banderas), believing that the inevitable tension between the two can only help the film's dynamic. She couldn't be more right, as the three gather for a nine-day rehearsal that sees each pushed to their wits' end and underpins Cuevas' belief that art is suffering.