Dora Carrington (Emma Thompson) is a young English artist who is part of the Bloomsbury Group. She is attracted to Lytton Strachey (Jonathan Pryce), the famous London literary critic and biographer, but the homosexual Strachey thinks she is a boy. Surprised to realize this, he finds himself fascinated by her, and they begin an unusual and long lasting affair. Strachey and Dora finally draw near and have a series of unusual sexual experiences with other members of the group. When Carrington develops a more physical connection with Ralph Partridge (Steven Waddington), Strachey is able to greet him as a friend, while Partridge remains a little nervous. However, the bondage between Dora and Strachey is long lasting.