In 1950s England, Hedda Gabler Tesman is interrogated by police after a shooting at her estate. Flashbacks reveal that twenty-four hours earlier she narrowly escaped drowning in the estate’s lake, saved only when her former lover, Dr. Eileen Lovborg, called to confirm her attendance at a party that evening. Hedda, recently married to the debt-ridden academic George Tesman, hosts the gathering to secure a professorship for him from Professor Greenwood. But the arrival of Eileen—George’s rival for the position and Hedda’s past love—threatens to unravel their plans.
Before Eileen’s arrival, Thea Clifton, an aspiring writer who has left her husband, appears at the party. Thea reveals she is Eileen’s new romantic partner and collaborator, and that they have co-authored a manuscript about sexuality that Eileen expects will revolutionize the academic field. This manuscript represents the only copy of Eileen’s work.
When Eileen arrives at the party, it becomes evident that she and Hedda were formerly lovers. The sight of Eileen triggers an intense emotional response in Hedda, who still harbors feelings for her. However, during a private conversation, Eileen rejects Hedda’s advances and declares that she has moved on with Thea. Eileen characterizes Hedda as a coward for refusing to pursue their relationship openly and instead choosing a conventional marriage to George Tesman.
The situation becomes further complicated when it is revealed that Eileen is also competing with George for the same professorship, and her forthcoming publication gives her a significant advantage.
Throughout the evening, Hedda systematically sabotages her guests. She orchestrates a scandal to damage Eileen’s standing with Professor Greenwood, then exploits Thea’s fears by pressuring a sober Eileen into drinking. Once Eileen is intoxicated and disheveled, Hedda steals her manuscript, letting Eileen believe she lost it in the lake. This public humiliation drives Thea to end their relationship.
With her career prospects destroyed, her manuscript lost, and her relationship with Thea ended, Eileen falls into despair. In this vulnerable state, Hedda offers Eileen one of General Gabler’s pistols, implicitly encouraging her to take her own life. Eileen takes the gun but ultimately cannot bring herself to pull the trigger.
Hedda secretly burns Eileen’s manuscript in the fireplace. When George discovers what she is doing and attempts to intervene, Hedda claims she is destroying the manuscript for their benefit and falsely tells him she is pregnant with his child. George, overwhelmed by this news, relents and does not stop her.
As Eileen wanders through the house in a daze, she becomes involved in an altercation with a friend named David. During the scuffle, the gun accidentally discharges, shooting her in the stomach.
As dawn breaks, Hedda learns that George and Thea have decided to work together to reconstruct Eileen’s manuscript from notes and memory. George dismisses Hedda’s concerns about their finances, stating they will simply move to a smaller house. When Hedda offers to assist in the reconstruction, both George and Thea reject her involvement.
Judge Roland Brack confronts Hedda with the missing pistol. Having observed the events of the evening, he knows the full extent of Hedda’s involvement in Eileen’s destruction and the shooting. He threatens to expose her to the police unless she submits to his control. Hedda refuses and fires the remaining bullets at Brack but misses. As she attempts to flee to the lake, Brack pursues and physically assaults her. He only releases her when George calls out from the house.
Hedda escapes to the lake and fills her pockets with stones, walking deeper into the water as she prepares to drown herself. When the water reaches her chin, she hears George and Thea calling out that Eileen has regained consciousness and survived the shooting. Upon hearing this news, Hedda pauses and breaks into an enigmatic smile. The film ends at this moment, leaving her ultimate fate ambiguous.
