Recently discharged from hospital, beautiful Ersilia Drei is hounded by the press after she sold a journalist the story of her attempted suicide following the death of a child entrusted to her care and her subsequent abandonment at the hands of her lover. Her tragic story proves too alluring for novelist Ludovico. Having offered her shelter, he quickly plots not only to seduce her but also to plunder the details of her life for his own artistic purposes. Standing in his way is Ersilia's lover Franco, who comes to reclaim her after reading about her downfall. However, when her former employer Consul Grotti also turns up contesting her version of events, the truth about Ersilia becomes ever more elusive.