时常无所事事在街头闲晃的奥利弗（杰拉尔•德帕迪约 Gérard Depardieu 饰）和朋友偶然来到了艾莲娜（布鲁•欧吉尔 Bulle Ogier 饰）的家里推销书籍，却阴差阳错的进入到后者在自家的工作室——一个充满变态用具的地下室，原来艾莲娜是一个向众多男子提供虐待服务的高级妓女。奥利弗被拉入参与了一次游戏后，便不能自已的爱上了美丽性感的艾莲娜，并且随即邀请她吃饭，两人走到了一起。艾莲娜经常在早上接到老板的任务电话，随后进入地下室“招待”她的客人们。奥利弗不愿艾莲娜耽于如此生活，向她的老板索取报酬，并且要其放过艾莲娜。艾莲娜得知这个消息后却勃然大怒，对奥利弗恶语相向……A common thief (Depardieu) breaks into the house of a professional dominatrix (Ogier), and begins to help her "train" her clients. Though this world is alien to his experience, he finds himself falling in love with her. Eventually he discovers that she does this in order to support her son, and he attempts to help her out of this life, which she is not sure she really wants to leave.