Agnes, a troubled and imaginative teenage girl, lives a cloistered life with her distant father, Frederick, in their remote house by the sea. Struggling to find her place in the world, Agnes spends her days creating a fantasy life with a mannequin that she treats as her best friend. Their monotonous and lonely existence is disrupted when Agnes' father hires Joseph, an escaped convict, to help with manual labor on the property. Fascinated and drawn to this enigmatic stranger, Agnes quickly becomes enchanted by Joseph, believing he is the answer to her desperate quest for connection and meaning.

As Joseph tries to keep a low profile while working on the farm, the bond between him and Agnes deepens. However, their growing closeness raises concerns and tensions within the household, especially concerning Frederick, who is wary of Joseph's past and his effect on Agnes. The atmosphere becomes increasingly charged as Agnes' childlike perception of love and devotion threatens to unravel the fragile balance within the home. Complications arise, emotions run high, and the delicate threads holding their lives together are tested as Agnes and Joseph's relationship faces external pressures and internal conflicts.