Young playwright Richard Collier (Christopher Reeve) is given an antique watch by a mysterious old woman, who asks him to travel back in time with her. Some time later, Collier becomes fascinated by the subject of an old portrait - a beautiful young lady (Jane Seymour), who turns out to be the same woman who had approached him all those years before. The writer resolves to return to 1912 and track down the object of his obsession.