The film is set in a luxurious brothel in Paris, where a young woman named Marie (played by Berenice Bejo) is taken in as a novice. The brothel is run by Madame Adélaïde (played by Isabelle Huppert), who is determined to maintain her establishment's reputation as the most exclusive and respectable in the city. As Marie navigates her new surroundings, she must confront the harsh realities of life as a prostitute and the complex relationships between the women who work there.