The film is presented in a series of flashbacks between the present and the past, jumping between various moments in both Julie and Julia's lives. The following plot summary separates the plot based on character.
Julia Child – 1950s In the 1950s, Julia Child, an enthusiastic and unabashed woman, moves to Paris with her diplomat husband, Paul Child. She attends
Le Cordon Bleu to learn French cooking and is initially met with skepticism as she is the only woman in the class.
Madame Elizabeth Brassart, the proprietress of the school, clashes with Julia. However, Julia is undaunted and begins collaborating on a
book about
French cooking for American housewives with
Simone “Simca” Beck and
Louisette Bertholle. Julia continues to work diligently on the book, despite such obstacles as Paul being repeatedly reassigned, Louisette's less-than-diligent efforts on the project (she's eventually told she will get a smaller share of the royalties than Julia and Simca), and Paul's being investigated for allegedly "
un-American activities." Although Julia's book is rejected by
Houghton Mifflin as too long and complicated, it is ultimately accepted and published by
Alfred A. Knopf.
Julie Powell – 2002 In 2002, Julie Powell has an unpleasant job at the
Lower Manhattan Development Corporation's call center, where she answers telephone calls from victims and families of the
September 11 attacks and members of the general public complaining about the LMDC's controversial plans for rebuilding the
World Trade Center. To do something she enjoys, she decides to cook every recipe in Julia Child's 1961 book
Mastering the Art of French Cooking for a year while blogging about it. Her husband Eric initially supports her in this and she gains a following, but tension develops when Julie starts to get emboldened and prioritize her blog and readers over their marriage. He temporarily leaves after an argument, after which Julie expresses remorse in her blog. Finally, Julie and Eric are visited by
Amanda Hesser, a food writer from
The New York Times, who features her blog in a story, after which her project begins to receive the attention of journalists, literary agents, and publishers. Julie is hurt when a journalist tells her that Julia was critical of Julie's blog project, but she retains her love and gratitude for Julia and the inspiration she provided. The last scenes show Julie and Eric visiting a reconstruction of
Julia Child's kitchen at the
Smithsonian Institution, and Julia in the same kitchen at her home receiving a first print edition of her cookbook and celebrating the event with Paul. ==Cast==