Charlie Kaufman (Nicolas Cage) is struggling to write a screen adaptation of a non-fiction book about orchids, written by Susan Orlean (Meryl Streep). As his twin brother Donald (also Nicolas Cage) follows screenwriting guru Robert McKee's (Brian Cox) advice about structure and action to write a more conventional script for a thriller, Charlie explores the relationship between Susan and the strange orchid enthusiast, John Laroche (Chris Cooper), who leads her on her search for the ghost orchid in the swamps of Florida. Charlie becomes more and more neurotic about his talent, his weight, and the direction of his life as he falls deeper under the spell of Orleans and the orchid.