It’s 1961 in the London suburb of Twickenham, and bright sixteen-year-old Jenny (Carey Mulligan) is on the cusp of womanhood, fantasizing about a more sophisticated, refined life while smoking Gauloises cigarettes. Though she feels smothered by her own adolescence, Jenny is an assiduous, cello-playing schoolgirl with a real chance of landing a spot at Oxford University. Her path takes a turn, however, when she meets David (Peter Sarsgaard), a man who seems to embody her every fantasy.
David soon replaces Jenny’s traditional schooling with his own brand of education: art auctions, smoky clubs, classical concerts and late-night dinners with his stylish yet inane friends (played with verve by Dominic Cooper and Rosamund Pike). Much to Jenny’s amazement, David even manages to charm her conservative parents, despite being nearly twice her age.
