When Isabel Archer, a beautiful, spirited American is brought to Europe by her wealthy aunt Touchett, it is expected that she will soon marry. But Isabel, resolved to enjoy the freedom that her fortune has opened up and to determine her own fate, does not hesitate to turn down two eligible suitors. It is only when she finds herself irresistibly drawn to the cultivated but worthless Gilbert Osmond that she discovers that wealth is a two-edged sword and that there is a price to be paid for independence. With its subtle delineation of American characters in a European setting, The Portrait of a Lady is one of the most accomplished and popular of Henry James's early novels.

Henry James (1843–1916) was born in New York and settled in Europe in 1875. He was a regular contributor of reviews, critical essays, and short stories to American periodicals. He is best known for The Turn of the Screw, The Portrait of a Lady and What Maisie Knew.

John Wood is a well known actor who works extensively in theatre, television and films. He has played many seasons for the RSC and at the National Theatre and, for his part in Travesties he won both a Tony Award and an Evening Standard Award for Best Actor. On television he has been seen in Foyle's War, Napoleon, Longitude and Love in a Cold Climate.