Besieged by writer’s block, screenwriter Thomas Graal can’t think of a single worthwhile idea for his next film. When he scares off his alluring secretary Bessie to boot, he teeters on the brink of desperation. Finally the love-struck ne’er-do-well comes up with an idea worth its salt. He writes a romantic comedy called “The Adventuress” that unites him with the woman of his dreams, and then submits the manuscript on one condition: Bessie must play the starring role! Mauritz Stiller’s edge-of-your-seat romantic “meta” comedy is a brilliant reflection on what was then still a fledgling medium. Besides giving us a rare and illuminating behind-the-scenes glimpse of the early film industry, it passionately explores the fine gradient spanning between desire and reality, romance and vocation.