Lydia, now back in England following her adventures in Africa, becomes concerned about the double standards inherent in Victorian society. Yet she is also faced by the brazen young women she sees in Brighton's drinking-houses, and even more so by the trade they ply.
During a visit to London, she is taken under the wing of the mysterious Lady Amberson, who is, as Lydia suspects, not quite the respectable society lady she seems. Asked by Lady Amberson to help provide some very special entertainment at one of her exclusive private parties, Lydia is initially shocked. Then as she ponders her capacity for sexual pleasure, Lydia realises that, should she refuse, she would be guilty of the hypocrisy she so despises...