After marrying a successful Parisian writer known commonly as "Willy" (Dominic West), Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (Keira Knightley) is transplanted from her childhood home in rural France to the intellectual and artistic splendor of Paris. Soon after, Willy convinces Colette to ghostwrite for him. She pens a semi-autobiographical novel, about a brazen country girl named Claudine that becomes a bestseller and a cultural sensation. Colette and Willy become the talk of Paris and their adventures go on to inspire additional Claudine novels. Colette's fight over the creative ownership of these books defies gender roles and drives her to overcome societal constraints, revolutionising literature, fashion and sexual expression.