For twenty years Christian Benediktsson has led an orderly but demanding life as butler to the media magnate William Randolph Hearst, famously the inspiration for Citizen Kane, in his San Simeon castle. But Christian's own private world is filled with regret - for a family abandoned, a reckless affair and a tragic death, followed hard by financial downfall that prompted his profound retreat from life. But when one day Christian's buried past threatens to catch up with him, a heart-rending journey of self-discovery into lost love begins.