This film, adapted from a work of fiction by author Tracy Chevalier, tells a story about the events surrounding the creation of the painting “Girl With A Pearl Earring” by 17th century Dutch master Johannes Vermeer. A young peasant maid working in the house of painter Johannes Vermeer becomes his talented assistant and the model for one of his most famous works.

Kelly (Antonia Campbell-Hughes) meets Victor (Julian Morris) while they are both loved up on the dance floor of a Liverpool nightclub. They are soon in her bed, fucking with an urgent intensity that neither has experienced before. These are two characters struggling to get by as best they can while the people around them are choosing illegal lifestyles; her best mate is a dominatrix prostitute, his pals are aspiring drug dealers. It’s when they get into bed with each other that their darker instincts take over.