Provocative as the subject may seem, the film is curiously inert. The story concentrates on Mesmer's treatment and growing relationship with a beautiful blind pianist (Amanda Ooms), who is being sexually abused by her father. When she goes into convulsions at a recital, the prevailing doctors are too eager to prescribe their favorite solution, bloodletting, but Mesmer leaps into action, and with a form of hypnosis, calms her down.

Mesmer's success quickly leads to dozens of unfortunates breaking down his door, much to the consternation of his wife (Gillian Barge). Naturally, the medical authorities consider him a charlatan and a fraud, and he is ultimately banished from Vienna. He then becomes the toast of pre-revolutionary France, where he cures the minor ailments of the aristocracy.

The film is short on biographical information and character motivation, and one occasionally longs for a more straightforward approach, a la 1930s Warner Bros. Although the screenplay amply displays Potter's dark wit and cynical views on human nature, it doesn't fully succeed in mining the deeper nuances of Mesmer's career. Still, the character is always intriguing, particularly with Rickman's powerful intensity making clear his megalomania as well as his altruism.