In Paris 1964, famed painter Alberto Giacometti bumps into his old friend James Lord (author), an American critic, and asks him to be a model for his latest portrait in his studio for a couple of days. Flattered by the request, Lord complies and as the days turn into weeks, he realizes his entire life has been wasted by this erratic genius. Jumping between joy and frustration, Lord finally sees logic in Giacometti's artistic but chaotic vision and witnesses the genius complete one of his last masterpieces.