John Singer Sargent’s disabled sister, Emily, narrates this saga of deception surrounding the Madame X portrait: the catalyst for revealing the family’s darkest secret. An aspiring artist, Emily is determined to study at an atelier and forge a career like her brother’s. Better than being relegated to her aging parents’ caregiver. Seeing Amélie Gautreau at the opera, John vows to paint her. Having been subjected to her cruelty, Emily is relieved when the socialite’s husband, Pierre, refuses John’s offer. He suspects Amelie’s sittings will double as liaisons with her married lover, Samuel Pozzi. When Pierre finally agrees to his wife’s entreaties and her blatant affair sends him spiraling into despair, Emily boldly admits she’s fallen in love with him, only to learn that Pierre loves her too. When John, Amelie, and Samuel destroy Emily’s chance for a love-filled future, her revenge causes lifelong consequences.