“It hurts, that’s nothing new”, says dancer Darling to her husband and choreographer Frans. But it’s different this time. During a rehearsal for the ballet “Giselle”, Darling collapses. It turns out that her hip is irreparably damaged and she will never be able to dance again. Birgitte Stærmose’s film is the story of a passionate artist who can’t let go and rushes inexorably towards disaster. Darling decides that if she can’t dance herself, she will take on training young dancer Polly as her replacement Giselle. But it’s a volatile constellation of temperaments. Polly emerges as an equally talented dancer, and Darling’s anger at her lost career, and jealousy determine what happens next. When Frans starts to display an appreciation for Polly that is not entirely about dance, Darling slips further and further into an existential crisis.