In a pre-credit sequence
Euphemia "Effie" Gray is seen walking through a garden speaking to her younger sister,
Sophie, about a fairy story in which a girl married a man with wicked parents. Effie marries the prosperous art critic and philosopher
John Ruskin in
Perth, Scotland. They travel to London to stay with his parents. Effie soon begins to feel isolated, especially as she is repeatedly belittled by Ruskin's hardhearted mother. Her distress is compounded by the fact that her husband shows no interest in consummating the marriage and refuses to discuss the subject. At the
Royal Academy of Arts, Ruskin and Effie attend a dinner at which there is heated debate about the new
Pre-Raphaelite movement in art, which Ruskin supports. He convinces
Sir Charles Eastlake, the president of the academy, to allow the young artists to exhibit their pictures. Effie attracts the attention of Sir Charles's wife,
Elizabeth. When the Eastlakes visit the Ruskins, Elizabeth sees how distressed Effie is in the repressive atmosphere of the Ruskin family. Feeling pressured due to the encounter with the Eastlakes, Ruskin calls in a doctor to examine Effie. Effie hopes that matters will improve when they travel to
Venice, where Ruskin will be researching his new book
The Stones of Venice but when they get there, he busies himself studying the many historic monuments of the city, leaving Effie in the company of Raffaele, a young Italian. Effie enjoys the city life, but is distressed when Raffaele tries to force himself on her. Her husband is oblivious to the situation. Effie dreads returning to the Ruskin family. Back at their house she suffers from a string of nervous ailments. Her doctor expresses disgust at Ruskin's clear lack of care or concern toward Effie and is horrified to learn that he has been doping her with laudanum, albeit unintentionally, as his mother gave him the tonics. He chastises a guilty looking Ruskin for his ignorance. He advises fresh air and more attention from her husband. Ruskin says they intend to travel to
Edinburgh where
John Everett Millais, one of the Pre-Raphaelites, will paint
his portrait. Millais befriends Effie and becomes increasingly disturbed by Ruskin's dismissive attitude to his wife. He is deeply embarrassed when Ruskin leaves the two of them alone together for several nights when he visits Edinburgh. Effie and Millais fall in love. He convinces her to take someone she trusts with her and to explore the options for divorce. Effie sends for Sophie, claiming that her sister wants to see the capital city. Together they visit Elizabeth Eastlake. Effie tells her she is still a virgin and that Ruskin told her he was disgusted by her body on their wedding night. Elizabeth advises her to get legal advice, as Ruskin clearly has no desire to fulfill any of his obligations in the marriage, and Effie doesn't deserve the type of treatment she is receiving. Effie is examined by a doctor, who confirms her virginity. Her sympathetic lawyer tells her the marriage can be annulled. She leaves for Perth, supposedly to accompany her sister, but really to leave Ruskin forever. Before she leaves London, she visits Millais, but communicates with him only via her sister. He says he will wait for her. Ruskin's family is horrified when Effie's lawyer calls round with a notification of annulment proceedings on the grounds of John Ruskin's impotence. ==Cast==