 In October 1985, American author William Styron travels to Paris to receive the "Prix mondial Cino Del Duca," a prestigious literary award.During the trip, Styron's mental state begins to degenerate rapidly as the depressive symptoms that he has been experiencing for several months worsen.He tentatively concludes that his depression was brought about by his sudden withdrawal from years of alcoholism and exacerbated by his overdependence on Halcion, a prescription drug that he took to treat insomnia.