Contempt follows screenwriter Paul Javel (Michel Piccoli) and his wife Camille (Brigitte Bardot) as their marriage unravels during the troubled production of a film adaptation of Homer's Odyssey, directed by Fritz Lang (playing himself) and bankrolled by a crass American producer, Jerry Prokosch (Jack Palance). A small incident—Paul letting Camille ride with Prokosch—ignites a deep rift, revealing Paul's inability to understand Camille's growing disdain, fueled by commercialism corrupting art and Paul's perceived weakness, leading to tragedy.