Set in 1859, ten-year-old Annabella lives a life of luxury with her womanising father and the woman she assumes is her mother. When a maid is sacked for calling Annabella a 'little bastard', the secret starts to seep out; she is the daughter of a local prostitute. When Annabella is 17 the truth is finally revealed by her father and she flees the home in search of a new life with her father's young groom, Manuel, as her lover and companion.