影片主角是一個78歲的英國著名作家，他身患重病卻仍然酗酒成性，口不擇言。夜晚不時陷于噩夢的纏繞中，令他想入非非，一邊琢磨著他最后一部作品的情節構思，一邊回憶著他的往事。于是，噩夢、他的想象加上往事的回憶相互混淆在一起，共同構成了他作品的故事框架。
　　影片將文學創作的過程跟幻想、憤怒等融為一體，制造了一個精致的弗洛伊德啞謎。這是雷奈的第一部用英語拍攝的影片。劇本比較拗口羅嗦，有較重的文學味，影片被認為是雷奈的杰作，博加德的演出尤為精湛，但一般觀眾可能會覺得單調乏味。
　　Clive Langham (Sir John Gielgud) spends one tormenting night in his bed suffering from health problems and thinking up a story based on his relatives. He is a bitter man and he shows, through flashbacks, how spiteful, conniving and treacherous his family is. But is this how they really are or is it his own vindictive slant on things?