Sonoko, a bored and childless housewife entering middle age, meets a young girl, Mitsuko, at a private art school. Sonoko paints a portrait of her, and when she invites Mitsuko to her house, the two end up locked in a passionate embrace. Unable to think rationally about what she wants, Sonoko becomes increasingly obsessed with her new lover and pursues a lesbian passion that erupts into obsession, adultery, deceit, blackmail and (possibly) murder when all four principles involved collide.

The film is widely noted for its fearless handling of female desire and obsessive queer love. Rather than adhering to traditional moral judgments, Masumura focuses on the chaotic, intoxicating frenzy of love pushed to its absolute limits.