This film gives voice to the life and creative impulse of the gay erotic artist known throughout the homosexual world as Tom of Finland. Featuring an interview with the artist himself, filmed shortly before he died, Daddy and the Muscle Academy is a unique view into a man’s mysterious world. Tom describes his early life in the Finnish army, in mundane jobs and, matter-of-factly, how he became inspired to put onto paper his exagerrated masculine fantasies of men in leather, uniforms and workwear. Most of the interview is shot in the stillness of Tom's apartment/studio, with the film broken into segments centering on themes of his work: depiction of black men and women, technique, use of models and leather as his muse: "I put on a special outfit", he explains, "if I need to be inspired".

The film also features brief commentaries from friends and critics, illustrating just how deeply Tom's fantasies have become the primers for the post-war emergent gay subcultures of Leather/SM, with all their knock-on influence on wider cultural consciousness. While outsiders may not relate to Tom's proclivities, they will be moved by his integrity and skill in realising his fantasies.