Joe (Charlotte Gainsbourg) is a nymphomaniac. After being found alone by a man named Seligman (Stellan Skarsgard), Joe opens up to him about her sexual conquests, fantasies, and everything in between. Through a series of stories and flashbacks, Joe opens up about her whole life, pouring her heart out and showing her progressively raunchier past through her words. In turn, Seligman opens up as well, though his stories are decidedly more G-rated. It's an odd match between the two of them, but each brings something that the other needs — openness and a sense of grounding — to their time together.