Norma Desmond, former silent film star, and now old and forgotten by the general public. Lost in her memories, she is moved when screenwriter Joe Gillis suddenly walks into her home and into her life. Joe is an unlucky screenwriter and struggles to escape creditors. Norma offers to welcome him if he agrees to set up her incomprehensible screenplay of Salomé, a film she wrote and in which she wants to play the role of the teenage seductress. Norma is convinced that she is still so young and beautiful. This belief is nurtured by Max, who writes her fake fan letters and shields her from the reality of the ruthless world of cinema.
Meanwhile, Joe falls in love with the young Betty Schaefer and undertakes a film project with her.
Strengthened by the presence of Joe in her house, she lavishes gifts on him and soon declares her love for him. Her obsession with the young writer reveals her growing mental instability and threatens to kill herself if Joe leaves her.
However, when Norma learns of Joe's affair with the young Betty Schaefer, her fragile state of health collapses. Will Joe and Betty survive Norma's madness?
Find the performance of "As If We Never Said Goodbye", performed by Glenn Close: