The film is set in a bleak future, where the population is hooked on an immersive illegal virtual reality video game called Avalon. Despite its popularity the game can be deadly, leaving players' bodies catatonic in the real world. One player of the game, Ash (played by Polish actress Małgorzata Foremniak), hears of a secret level hidden within Avalon. The film follows her quest to find the level.
The film's colour palette is mainly sepia tones, helping to blur the line between the real world and that within the game itself.
The film is typically Mamoru Oshii styled in its pacing and editing. It is relatively slow paced, reinforcing the mundane nature of the world Ash lives in and highlighting the excitement of playing the game. The film superfluously features a basset hound, a breed of dog common in Oshii's films, since he has one, named Gabriel.
The film's score is by regular Oshii collaborator, Kenji Kawai.