The Electrical Life of Louis Wain

English artist Louis Wain (Benedict Cumberbatch) is an eccentric boxer, pianist, mad scientist, and an incredibly talented illustrator, most famous for his playful, anthropomorphized, and sometimes psychedelic illustrations of cats. At home, Louis takes care of his widowed mother and five younger sisters. To provide for them, he sells drawings of animals from the country fairs, until he lands a staff job at the Illustrated London News.

Due to his lack of people skills, Louis struggles with interacting with others and society, mainly due to his dark and stormy outlook on life. It's not until he hires a governess named Emily Richardson (Claire Foy) to take care of his younger sisters that he experiences joy he has never experienced before.