Alvina Houghton, the daughter of a widowed Midlands draper, comes of age just as her fatherâs business is failing. In a desperate attempt to regain his fortune and secure his daughterâs proper upbringing, James Houghton buys a theatre. Among the travelling performers he employs is Ciccio, a sensual Italian who immediately captures Alvinaâs attention. Fleeing with him to Naples, she leaves her safe world behind and enters one of sexual awakening, desire, and fleeting freedom.