The story takes place in London in 1763. Women's low status and economic backwardness make it impossible for women to choose their own lives. If they want to live, they can only become prostitutes except to marry a rich son-in-law. Marguerite (Samantha Morton Samantha Morton) and Lydia (Leslie Manville Lesley Manville) are the two most famous pimps in the local brothel. In order to attract business, Marguerite even auctioned the virginity of her two daughters. Margaret wants to move the brothel to Soho and target the rich who live there. The move threatened Lydia's interests, and in order to stop Margaret's plan, Lydia secretly reported Margaret's movements to a religious fanatic. The angry Margaret wanted to get back at Lydia, but she knew that if the two had a head-on conflict, it would cause irreparable damage to her family and career.