The plan hits a major snag with the arrival of Ollie's grandmother, (Mary Beth Peil). A sharp, aristocratic matriarch, Charlie is also searching for the record while preparing to sell the estate, representing a different kind of nostalgia—one rooted in the vanished grace of old New York royalty.

The story centers on (Rory Culkin), a young music collector still reeling from his father’s suicide on the very lake that bears his family's name. Desperate to reclaim a piece of his history, Ollie recruits his friend Nikolai (Robert Sheehan), a charismatic Russian drifter, to help him steal a rare 78 rpm record from his own family’s glamorous estate.

Music is the lifeblood of this film. Director Ari Gold collaborated with his twin brother, composer , to create a soundtrack that sounds like it was "ripped straight from a long-buried 78rpm record". The making and releasing of “The Song of Sway Lake”

The film’s emotional core shifts as Nikolai becomes transfixed by Charlie, creating a bizarre and enchanting romantic tension that disrupts the boys' mission. Meanwhile, the late delivers a quiet, anchoring performance as the housekeeper, Marlena, in her final screen appearance. The Soundtrack of a Lost Era