Life of cellist Jacqueline Du Pre, who died in 1987 at the age of 42 from multiple sclerosis. As children, Jackie and older sister Hilary are both immersed in music: Hilary exels at the flute, while Jackie is less confident as a cellist. But soon Jackie overtakes her sister, and while Hilary marries and moves to the country, Jackie becomes famous, and goes on international tours. Years later, she turns up distraught at Hilary's house, and asks permission to sleep with her husband. Hilary agrees, unable to say no to her demanding sister. The affair doesn't last, and Jackie becomes increasingly unhappy. As she becomes ill, she moves closer to Hilary once again.