The narrative begins in a remote Pennsylvania household where the narrator, Kate, and her brother endure an isolated and emotionally frigid childhood under an austere father. Sent away to a boarding school at age seventeen, Kate experiences her first sexual awakening not with a man, but through an intense intimate relationship with her French teacher, Laura Castleton. This initiation shatters her prior indifference and opens the door to a lifelong pursuit of unrestrained physical pleasure.
After returning home briefly, Kate is dispatched to a convent near Baltimore, Mount de Sales. There, she discovers that the institution is a hotbed of clandestine erotic activity between the resident pupils, nuns, and visiting priests, including Father Clark and Father Price. Observing and eventually participating in these intricate encounters expands Kate's repertoire of sexual techniques and solidifies her rejection of traditional morality.
Upon leaving the convent, Kate engages in an ardent and prolonged affair with her visiting cousin, Harry Duval. Their intense physical connection sets a pattern for her subsequent relationships. Seeking independence, Kate takes a position as a governess at Riverside Lodge, the estate of Mr. Herbert Clarence. She quickly becomes entangled in the amorous dynamics of the household, which include Clarence's invalid wife and his visiting sister-in-law, Amy Denmead. The household becomes the theater for elaborate, multi-person orgies.
As the narrative progresses, Kate inherits a vast fortune, which grants her total autonomy. She travels to New York and reconnects with Laura Castleton, who now presides over an elite establishment of pleasure. Through Laura, Kate gains entry into sophisticated circles of libertines who document and practice every conceivable permutation of erotic art, ranging from flagellation to complex tableaux derived from classical treatises.
Kate's adventures continue through encounters with various lovers, notably a lawyer named Ralph Pitman, who shares her encyclopedic appetite for carnal experimentation. The text concludes with Kate finally reuniting with her cousin Harry, whom she marries. Settling into a life of domestic permanence, she looks back on her extensive history of debauchery with complete satisfaction and no remorse.
