The film stars Anne Hathaway as Jane Austen, a young writer who meets Tom Lefroy (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a wealthy and charming Irishman. Their meeting sparks a romance, but their different social classes and the societal norms of the time threaten to tear them apart. The movie explores how this relationship may have influenced Austen's writing, particularly in crafting the character of Elizabeth Bennet and the themes of "Pride and Prejudice."