影片主角是一个78岁的英国著名作家，他身患沉痾却依然酗酒成性，口不择言。夜晚不时陷于噩梦的环绕中，令他胡思乱想，一边揣摩着他最终一部著作的情节构思，一边回想着他的往事。所以，噩梦、他的梦想加上往事的回想彼此混杂在一起，一起构成了他著作的故事结构。 影片将文学创作的进程跟梦想、愤恨等融为一体，制作了一个精美的弗洛伊德哑谜。这是雷奈的第一部用英语拍照的影片。剧本比较拗口罗嗦，有较重的文学味，影片被认为是雷奈的创作，博加德的表演尤为精深，但一般观众可能会觉得单调乏味。 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。
