William Oldroyd directs this British drama adapted from Nikolai Leskov's novel.

Set in the remote English countryside, the story follows teenage bride Katherine as she is forced to marry shady mining boss Alexander. Deeply unhappy with her new situation, Katherine soon finds an escape in the form of servant Sebastian and the pair begin having an affair.

However, when Alexander learns of her betrayal and reacts violently, Katherine and Sebastian are forced to take matters into their own hands in an attempt to get some retribution of their own.