Hector Wilson is a young Black footman anxious to advance in good service, but finds that his employer's unwanted amorous approaches to him pose a threat to his ambitions. Should he instead join his sister Phoebe and cousin Seraphine in the household of Madame Clorinda Cathcart, that noted courtesan? He is reluctant to enter service in an establishment supported by fornication, but dramatic events mean that he is obliged to take a place there at least temporarily. Meanwhile Madame Clorinda finds the pursuit of her occupation badly afflicted by the aftermath of a vicious assault...