Against his better judgment, famed painter Rembrandt van Rijn (Martin Freeman) succumbs to his wife Saskia's (Eva Birthistle) demands and agrees to paint a portrait of the Amsterdam Musketeer Militia, a wealthy group of obnoxious merchants who pretend to be soldiers. Director Peter Greenaway examines how Rembrandt's decision to depict these merchants in an unflattering light proved to be a major turning point in the master painter's career.