The film follows Nagiko (Vivian Wu), a Japanese model and writer obsessed with the art of calligraphy, a fascination that stems from childhood rituals where her father painted characters on her face. As an adult, she seeks lovers who will write on her body before intimacy. Her relationships culminate in a passionate and destructive affair with a bisexual translator, Jerome (Ewan McGregor). Their love intertwines writing, eroticism, and betrayal, leading Nagiko to transform her experiences into a work of art that merges text and flesh.