This is the story of Sophie, and her transformation from trainee solicitor to willing slave. Her journey starts when she accepts a room in Elspeth's London house, with extra housework in exchange for a reduction in rent. She settles happily, and is only moderately upset when she fails to meet Elspeth's high standards, and is punished with a spanking. Her training progresses. She experiences the cane, birch and paddle, and is made to wear uniforms and other bizarre outfits. The final stage in her education is in a country house run by The Circle, an association of dominants, where Sophie eventually graduates with honours. This highly erotic book explores both the mental and physical aspects of slavery, describing the challenge in meekly offering a bare bottom for punishment, and the pleasures of reddening that bottom.