Abe (Joaquin Phoenix) is a graceful university professor of philosophy, who is loved by classmates and teachers. Dealing with his own ego and superego every day, Abe will inevitably fall into a crisis of nihilism. One day, a female student named Jill (Emma Stone) came to his class. Jill was enthusiastic and cheerful. Her many philosophical thoughts coincided with Abe, and a strong affection soon developed between teachers and students. One day, Abe and Jill were eating in a restaurant. They accidentally heard the neighbor complain that a judge had lost custody of her children. What Jill didn't expect was that it wasn't long before she saw the death of the judge. Jill thought about it and felt that this matter had an unclear relationship with Abe. Abe's colleague Rita (Parker Posey) also knew it well, but Rita had her own plans.