A beautiful young woman, Severine, lives with her husband but their marriage has never been consummated. She has a series of sexy daydreams where she fantasizes about various sado-sexual encounters. When she hears that an acquaintance works as a prostitute she enters a brothel where she works only in the afternoons, returning to her husband every evening. Initially shy and a bit reluctant, she eventually comes into her own and is a favorite of the establishment’s many customers. Her life take a turn when a hoodlum, Marcel, falls in love with her and wants her all to himself.