sˈɛt ɪn wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd sˈɛvənhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti nˈaɪn, ðə fˈɪlm tˈɛlz ðə stˈoːɹi ʌvðə mˈɑːɹkwaɪz vˈɑːn ˈoʊ, ɐ vˈɜːtʃuːəs wˈɪdoʊ, hˌuː fˈaɪndz hɜːsˈɛlf pɹˈɛɡnənt ænd pɹˈoʊtɛsts hɜːɹ ˈɪnəsəns wˌaɪl pˈɑːsᵻbli dɪzˈɜːvɪŋ təbi ˈɛɡzaɪld.
Set in 1799, the film tells the story of the Marquise von O, a virtuous widow, who finds herself pregnant and protests her innocence while possibly deserving to be exiled.