The film tells the story of Humbert Humbert (Jeremy Irons), a middle-aged literature professor who becomes infatuated with a 12-year-old girl named Dolores Haze (Dominique Swain), whom he refers to as Lolita. As Humbert's obsession with Lolita grows, he becomes increasingly unhinged, leading to a downward spiral of events that challenge the boundaries of social norms and moral codes.