Magda, a female writer struggling for success, employs an elderly woman called Emerence (Helen Mirren) to be her housekeeper. From their first encounter, it is clear that Emerence is no ordinary maid. Although everyone in the neighbourhood knows and respects her, no one knows anything about her private life or has ever been allowed to enter her home. However, a dramatic event in the writer's life prompts Emerence to unveil glimpses of her traumatic past - a past which sheds light on her very peculiar behaviour.

THE DOOR brilliantly illustrates the bond as it develops between these two very different women and, ultimately, the tragic end of their relationship.