In 1940 England, feminist poet Vita Sackville-West gets a phone call from Violet Keppel Trefusis which triggers a flashback to 1917 where Violet first came for a visit at Vita's country house. Violet is dismayed to find her gallant, heroic Vita ensconced in a cozy marriage to diplomat Harold Nicolson, her wild spirit seemingly tamed by her roles as wife and mother to their two young sons, Ben and Nigel. Vita loves her husband, and values him as a great companion. When Harold tells Vita of his past sexual dalliances with men, his disclosure opens the door for her to rekindle her relationship with Violet - not out of revenge, but out of a desire for equal freedom to explore her own same-sex desires for her best friend that she has experienced since her teenage years, and the same goes for Violet.
—Larry B.