A late Summer afternoon, 1969. Artist Lee Krasner, widow of Jackson Pollock, is in her studio, working on a large painting. Local delivery boy, Hank, drops by Lee’s studio with her usual grocery delivery.  Hank is studying art and has brought his art portfolio and is hoping to ask her opinion of his work. Lee, exasperated that he has interrupted her painting ‘flow’ is at first frosty and annoyed. However, since he has already broken her concentration, she agrees to look over his work. 

What follows is at times a harsh critique of the young man’s artistic attempts, but she is also encouraging.  Hank then produces one final painting in the form of a rolled-up canvas and shows it to her, explaining that Pollock gave the painting to his father many years ago to settle a debt. Now Hank needs Lee to authenticate the painting, hoping that it’s value will help his family out of financial disaster. Upon seeing the painting, Lee accuses him of stealing the work from her home and what unfolds is a history of this particular painting that reveals a painful secret that could call into question the origin of her late husband’s ‘genius’.