The French Teacher follows Cleo, a woman in her late-40s who is grappling with complicated personal dilemmas. Hesitantly, she begins an affair with Matthew, a student half her age. After the death of Cleo's father, her daughter Sophie returns home from New York to stay with her. The already fraught relationship between mother and daughter is intensified when a triangle emerges between Cleo, Sophie and Matthew. The present collides with the past, as long-buried family issues are unearthed in this complex, intergenerational drama.