England, 1905. Amidst the dreary, tenement-lined backdrop of the Victorian Age, Angel Deverell is a gifted but struggling young author who finds fame, fortune and love as a sensationalist romance writer.

Despite her success, the eccentric Angel is condemned to a life of isolation and disappointment, harangued by critics and alienated by loved ones due to her unrealistic outlook on life. François Ozon's lavish story of the rise of a young woman through the strata of Britain's class society is a tragic tale of success, exclusion and ultimate demise.