The sole survivor of a terrible train wreck, David Dunn, a security guard, is contacted by Elijah Price, a mysterious stranger who tries to convince David that he has a special gift.

17-year-old Griet must work to support her family, so she becomes a maid in the house of Johannes Vermeer, where she attracts the master painter's attention. He is commissioned to paint Griet, and the result is one of the greatest paintings ever created.