Cate Blanchett’s journalist Catherine Ravenscroft struggles to maintain composure when an author played by Kevin Kline reveals her darkest secret through a novel in the trailer of Apple TV’s limited series Disclaimer*.

Dropped by the streamer on Tuesday, the two-minute-30-second-long trailer opens with a haunting close-up shot of Blanchett’s face moments before she receives an award for exposing “narratives and forms that distract us from hidden truths”. The tension builds as scenes of her daily life unfold, underscored by a voiceover from Indira Varma, hinting at the carefully guarded secrets Catherine has concealed to maintain balance.

Catherine’s life turns upside down when she receives a book titled The Perfect Stranger, a novel that centres on her life and threatens to reveal her harrowing secrets from the past.

The trailer transitions from Catherine being satisfied with her career during the awards night to burning the book the next morning. We also hear Kline’s voiceover in the background saying, “They say that destiny knocks at the door. That is not true. Destiny doesn’t knock on any door. It crashes in without permission and grabs you mercilessly by your soul.”

Leila George plays the younger version of Blanchett’s Catherine, who can be seen having a steamy romance with Louis Partridge’s character. Blanchett goes to great lengths to uncover Kline’s identity before the secret destroys her relationship with her family. Sacha Baron Cohen and Kodi Smit-McPhee play Blanchett’s husband and kid, respectively, in the series.

The ensemble cast also includes Lesley Manville and Hoyeon. Indira Varma features as the narrator.

Written and directed by five-time Academy Award winner Alfonso Cuarón, Disclaimer* is based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Renée Knight. The seven-chapter psychological thriller is slated to hit Apple TV on October 11.

Presented by Apple Studios, Disclaimer is co-produced by Esperanto Filmoj and Anonymous Content.