Young actress Mai Rose is faced with a dilemma: she's been a successful TV star for two years but has left her soap to try to gain credibility and experience in a stage production. However, she's still in rehearsals when the opportunity arises for her to participate in a competition to choose the leading actress in a major new fantasy film – in a role that seems ideal for her.
But that's only part of the dilemma.
She also begins to recognise that the world is a lot more complicated than she thought, and that there is a 'reality' outside her bubble of fame that she should be paying attention to. The fact that her brother has been fighting in Afghanistan, and comes home in a strange frame of mind, adds to her concern. As does the fact that her boyfriend, the drummer in a new band, seems to be growing more distant.
The final ingredient in this recipe for trouble and stress is the determination of one of the other contestants in the competition to be the one to win the role. Helena Cross is super-ambitious, conniving and just not a very nice person ... so why does Mai's brother start going out with her?
All of this takes place in the space of one month in London, with a short diversion to a Russian billionaires yacht in Cannes. What choices will Mai make? And will they make her happier and more successful?
Actress lays bare what it means to struggle for fame in a profession where all of your actions are caught and made visible to the watching world. How is it possible to stay balanced and sane when you're living in a world of madness?