To pay off her father's overwhelming debt, Elisabeth Laurier (Sophie Marceau) agrees to conceive a child with British aristocrat Charles Godwin (Stephen Dillane) -- whose paralyzed wife can't bear children -- and give him the baby once it's born. Seven years later, when Godwin's sister-in-law, Constance (Lia Williams), hires Elisabeth as a governess, she's reunited with her daughter, Louisa (Dominique Belcourt).
