“Young Werther” Trailer: Douglas Booth, Alison Pill and Patrick J. Adams Form a Classic Love Triangle (Exclusive)

'Young Werther' is a modern-day adaptation of the 18th-century novel 'The Sorrows of Young Werther'

Douglas Booth, Alison Pill, Iris Apatow and Patrick J. Adams are updating a classic story.

PEOPLE has the exclusive first trailer for the rom-com, which is based on the 1774 German novel The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang Goethe.

It follows Booth, 31, as Werther, who falls in love with a woman named Charlotte (Pill, 38) while spending time in Toronto.

Werther chronicles his attempts at romancing Charlotte via phone calls to his friend, only to learn that Charlotte is engaged to an emotionally unavailable man named Albert (Adams, 43).

At the same time, Charlotte's younger sister appears to grow infatuated with Werther on her own, all while Werther resolves to prove Charlotte should be with him instead of Albert.

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"While on a simple errand to Toronto, a carefree and charming young writer named Werther stumbles across the love of his life only to discover that the young woman is engaged," reads a synopsis.

"Despite the urgings of his hypochondriac best friend, Werther turns his world upside down in a desperate, misguided and hilarious quest to win her heart."

The movie, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, is written and directed by José Avelino Gilles Corbett Lourenço in his feature film directorial debut.

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"Our incredible cast brought such wit and heart to every scene, making the story not just about longing and the way love evolves and matures, but also the tender, intricate waltz of human connection, with all its attendant joys, highs, lows, quiet heartbreaks, thunderous bursts of passion … as well as a change room scene (involving teeth and imaginary pliers) that made my mother blush redder than Werther’s favorite necktie," the director tells says, adding that the movie presents a "classic love triangle."

Young Werther is in theaters and on digital Dec. 13.