In 19th-century Ireland, a woman named Albert Nobbs leads a double life, dressing and living as a man to work and survive in the oppressive societal conditions of the time. Underneath her male facade, Albert works tirelessly as a butler at a luxury hotel in Dublin, scrimping and saving diligently. Her ultimate goal is to escape a life of servitude and open a tobacco shop where she can live freely and independently. Albert's life is one of solitude and secrecy, her true identity carefully locked away from the world's judgmental eyes.

Albert’s carefully constructed world begins to unravel when she meets a charming painter named Hubert Page, who is hired to do some work at the hotel. After a turn of events, Albert discovers that Hubert, much to her surprise, is also living a similar lie, disguising as a man to work and be with his wife. Encouraged by Hubert’s apparent domestic happiness, Albert starts dreaming of a life where she could openly live as a woman and love whom she desires. She becomes increasingly enamored with a young hotel maid, Helen, who is preoccupied with her own romantic entanglement with a reckless handyman named Joe. Albert's growing ambitions for personal freedom and affection set the stage for a poignant exploration of identity and the pursuit of happiness in a rigid and unforgiving society.