Milan, 2012. Photographer Valentina Rosselli is living with her lover of one year, Theo Steen, but refuses to commit to anything more. When she is offered an intriguing photography assignment, to take pictures of those engaged in the darker side of desire, she gets drawn into a shadowy world that reveals a part of her she never knew existed...

Venice, 1929. Belle is the alter ego of a well-to-do socialite, trapped in an unhappy marriage and constrained by society. As Belle she plays out her fantasies by leading a secret life as a courtesan - but she will only truly be set free by finding the man who will love her.

Though decades separate them, Belle and Valentina's lives are intertwined. Both will experience an awakening of their latent desires, but will they discover the connection between physical passion and true love?