Photographing Fairies

Charles Castle and Anna-Marie marry in an Alpine church in Switzerland in 1912. The following day they walk in the mountains as a snowstorm closes in. On their return to the village, a crevasse opens and Anna-Marie falls in; Castle loses his grip and she dies.

During the Great War, Castle serves as an army photographer in the trenches of France. While photographing corpses with his assistant Roy, a mortar shell lands nearby. Roy retreats, but Castle continues shooting and later returns to the trench just before the shell explodes.

After the war, Castle and Roy run a photographic studio in London. Castle specializes in trick work and photomontage, pushing the boundaries of what can be shown in an image. His studio work earns him a reputation for innovation as well as controversy.

He attends a lecture at the Theosophical Society where Arthur Conan Doyle examines a projected image of the Cottingley Fairies. Doyle seems convinced the fairies are real, while Castle publicly debunks the image and hands out business cards to the audience. The moment heightens Castle's skepticism about alleged supernatural phenomena.

Beatrice Templeton visits Castle's studio and shows him a photograph of her daughter, convinced a mysterious shape is a fairy. Castle initially dismisses the idea, but his curiosity leads him to examine the image and notice a shape reflected in the girl's eye. He then makes multiple large prints to study how the photograph could have been produced.

Beatrice tells Castle that the photograph no longer matters—she claims she has seen the fairies herself—and asks him to meet at the great tree in Birkenwell Woods the next day. Castle travels to the village and encounters Ana and Clara Templeton, the daughters whom Beatrice described, and follows them back to their home. The encounter deepens his quest to understand the mystery.

Castle walks to the great tree at the appointed time and finds Beatrice waiting. Before he arrives, she has removed her hat and shoes and climbed the tree; he discovers her lifeless body on the ground. He gives a statement at the local police station and becomes drawn into the sisters' strange world.

Castle learns from Beatrice's notes that she had been tracking her daughters' odd behavior and experimenting with a distinctive rare flower. He discovers Ana and Clara have also consumed the flower. He finds that the flower slows the brain enough to allow fairies to be seen and interacted with.

Castle arranges a photo shoot using his most advanced equipment and enlists his partner. After consuming the flower again, they photograph the experience and Castle concludes that fairies exist.

A fed-up Nicholas starts burning Castle's equipment in what seems like an act of desperation. Castle, initially unfazed by the flames, grows enraged when the fairies drift close and catch fire, and he assaults and kills Nicholas. He is subsequently arrested.

Castle refuses to defend himself and is found guilty of murder. He is sentenced to hang, while Ana and Clara are placed into foster care. The courtroom reveals the tragedy surrounding the sisters and the consequences of Castle's obsession.

Castle bids farewell to his associates and faces execution with a sense of calm. The narrative follows his acceptance of fate as he awaits the noose. The tone emphasizes the cost of his fixation on the fairy world.

The final scene returns to the Alps, where Castle is attempting to save Anna-Marie. He succeeds in pulling her back up to the path, and they embrace and continue walking together. The moment serves as a memory contrasting with his later fate.