Set primarily in New York City, Denver, and Europe, Fencer plunges us into the heart and mind of Mae Wilson, a determined female athlete struggling with a life devoted to the peculiar and intense world of US fencing, and explores the loneliness of someone trying to achieve greatness in a sport that offers no chance for fame or fortune. The film is about the anxieties of competition and what one must give up in order to be a high-level athlete. Everything Mae does - from achieving to drinking to physical intimacy - is motivated unconsciously by a desire to alleviate her pain and discomfort and feel okay about herself. Desperate for the affection and approval of her absent parents, Mae throws her self into sport to prove she is enough, and inevitably transfers her approval seeking to her coach and others. At its heart the film raises the question of why people compete, and explores the deleterious effect of getting one's sense of worth and security through external validation and achievement.