Bringing to life that 'queer sultry summer' of 1953, this is the first film to unravel the story behind Sylvia Plath's seminal novel. The book captures the struggles of an ambitious young woman's attempts to deal with the constraints of 1950's America - the bright lights of New York dim, turn to depression and attempted suicide. The film weaves the autobiographic narrative of the book with the testimony of her friends, and daughter Frieda Hughes - some speaking for the first time.