To reach the pinnacle of success in the famously competitive Russian ballet, you have to be able to withstand pain. Tough-as-nails Mariska grew up in a household where corporal punishment was the norm, so she has what it takes to make it to the very top of the dance world. Over time, she begins to find a kind of solace in her suffering. When this gorgeous young girl starts to blossom sexually, she finds her new sensual awareness and her predilection for pain have become strangely intertwined.