In 1860s London, Arthur sees his wife, Emily, suddenly struck down by a
pain for which she can find no words, forced to endure harmful
treatments, and reliant on him for guidance. Meanwhile, in contemporary
Perth, Alice, a writer, and her older husband, Duncan, find their
marriage threatened as Alice investigates the history of hysteria,
female sexuality, and the treatment of the female body--her own and the
bodies of those who came before.