The film tells the remarkable tale of Jean-Dominique Bauby, a French editor, who suffered a stroke and was paralyzed by the inexplicable "locked in" syndrome when he was 43. Bauby’s only way of communicating with the outside world was by blinking with one eye, and after several dedicated helpers, he was able to speak through his seemingly irrelevant gestures and began to produce word. The movie depicts strengths of hopefulness and optimism despite significant challenges.