A Very Private Affair

Jill is an 18-year-old French woman from an affluent background who lives with her widowed mother in a luxurious villa on Lake Geneva. She studies ballet in Paris with her close friend Carla, hinting at the discipline and dreams that define her. The film establishes a sheltered life shaped by wealth, family expectations, and the early stirrings of attraction toward two very different men.

She dates Dick but is secretly infatuated with Fabio Rinaldi, an older Italian magazine editor and theater director who is married to Carla. Against her mother's protests, she moves to Paris with Dick to pursue a career in ballet. The move marks a turning point from a sheltered villa life to the world of opportunity and ambition.

In Paris, Jill grows bored with both Dick and ballet and briefly turns to modeling to earn money. This restlessness foreshadows a bigger break as she searches for a path to stardom. Her experiments hint at a future shift from dancer to actress.

Jill is discovered by Maxime, a film producer, and begins acting in films. Within three years she becomes a world-famous sex symbol, facing relentless media scrutiny for her numerous love affairs. She is constantly hounded by paparazzi, marking the price of fame.

During a premiere arranged by Maxime, Jill is mobbed by crazed fans and paparazzi and suffers a nervous breakdown. She is admitted to a clinic to stabilize her condition. Not long after, she travels in secret to Geneva with her doctor Juliette to stay at her mother's villa, seeking refuge.

Jill seeks Fabio, who agrees to accompany her back to her mother's villa and reveals that he has divorced Carla. They enter the villa using a spare key, but a horde of paparazzi tipped off by Juliette gathers outside, distressing Jill.

Fabio smuggles Jill out of the villa into his apartment, where she attempts suicide by drowning in the bathtub while he is at work. He returns, rushes to her aid, and nurses her back to health. Their relationship deepens as they become lovers while hiding in the apartment.

Fabio leaves for Spoleto to stage an open-air production for the arts festival, while Jill stays with her mother at the villa, surrounded by paparazzi. Maxime visits, urging her to return to Paris and threatening to sue if she quits acting. The couple's happiness is tested by distance and public scrutiny.

Jill travels to Spoleto to reunite with Fabio, initially going unseen. A paparazzo named Alain publishes a photo of Jill with Fabio, igniting renewed media frenzy. Rehearsals are hampered by crowds, prompting Fabio to keep Jill close in an effort to protect her.

On opening night, Fabio tries to shield Jill from the mounting media pressure by discouraging her attendance. Angrily she accuses him of keeping her captive, then seeks a private vantage point and climbs onto the hotel's rooftop to watch the performance.

A paparazzo catches Jill on the rooftop, and the sudden flash startles her. Startled by the camera, she loses her balance and falls to her death, leaving the crowd and Fabio to confront the tragedy at the height of fame.