The film is framed by
Edie Sedgwick being interviewed in a hospital several years after her time as an
Andy Warhol superstar. In the mid 1960s, Edie is a young heiress studying art in
Cambridge, Massachusetts. She moves to
New York City with her friend,
Chuck Wein. She is introduced to
pop art painter and film-maker
Andy Warhol, who is intrigued by the beautiful, clearly troubled socialite. He asks her to perform in one of his underground
experimental films. She agrees and goes on to star in several of Andy's projects, becoming his
muse. She and Chuck become part of the tightly knit bohemian social scene at Andy's art studio,
the Silver Factory. Edie's status as a Warhol superstar and rising
youthquake fashion model earn her fame and international attention. The success fails to ease her psychological issues. Although descended from a prestigious family lineage and raised on an idyllic California ranch, Edie was
sexually abused by her father during childhood. She has been further shaken by the fairly recent death of her favorite brother, Minty. Her trauma manifests itself in
uncontrolled spending, poor money management and a burgeoning drug habit. Edie's Cambridge friend, Syd visits her in New York City and introduces her to folk singer Billy Quinn, a character based on
Bob Dylan. Edie and Billy begin a relationship, which causes Andy to become jealous. Edie attempts to make peace between the two men by arranging a screen test for Billy at Andy's Factory. When Billy and his posse arrive, they act disrespectfully towards Andy. Billy and Edie fight and he tells her that Andy is a "bloodsucker" who will "kill" her. She tearfully responds that she "can't hate him." Realizing that she has chosen Andy over him, Billy leaves her. Edie's worsening drug addiction begins taking its toll. Her relationship with Andy deteriorates and she becomes a
pariah among the Factory crowd. One night, while in a drug-induced stupor, she falls asleep with a lit cigarette and nearly dies in the ensuing apartment fire.
Vogue, which once championed her as the newest
"it" girl, now refuses to hire her; editor
Diana Vreeland explains that Edie is considered "vulgar" due to her current lifestyle. When Syd visits Edie again, she is barely conscious and is being filmed naked by three strangers in her apartment. Syd kicks the men out and looks after Edie. He gets them a taxi and shows her a photo of herself back in Cambridge. He says she inspired him back then and she can be an artist once more. Edie, deeply upset at how far she's fallen, gets out of their cab and runs frantically down the street. The scene transitions to the film's opening
framing device of the hospital interview several years later. Edie tells the interviewer that to "stay off the drugs" is going to be a battle every day, that she is pursuing art again and is glad to be home in
Santa Barbara, California. The closing captions explain that in her last few years Edie continued in her struggle with dependency. Her short marriage to a fellow patient ended when she died of a
barbiturate overdose at the age of 28. Meanwhile, in New York City, Andy is interviewed the day after Edie died in 1971. When the interviewer asks about her and Andy's "breakup," Andy becomes visibly uncomfortable but manages to complete his thought that it was just so long ago and he hardly knew her at all. ==Cast==