Montreal film-maker Rex Prince travels to Louisiana to search for his first love Paula Paul, the Countess of the title: the loveliest bearded lady ever to grace a circus sideshow. To win her love he takes on the job of Human Cannonball; wins her and loses her tragically, then tries to commit their love story to film. An exploration of self-image and memory, and the glamour (used in the sense of a magic spell or illusory reality) which the movie camera can weave.