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Paris, 1871. Vera, the star of the luxury brothel "Le Paradis", is preparing to celebrate her departure. She is finally leaving the establishment to become the official mistress of a wealthy man. But her madam, Hortense Gaillac, is madly in love with the young woman. She will do anything, absolutely anything, to keep her by her side. Moreover, the house owes money to a thug named Lupin.

Forced into service at The Paradise, Rose manages to escape before being tracked down by the police. After one of the girls is assaulted, Véra organizes a strike in protest, causing a strain on the brothel's finances. In response, Hortense decides to sell Rose's chastity to the highest bidder.

Pierre Gaillac, the brother Hortense hates so much and who has just returned to France, takes care of the strike organised by the girls of "Le Paradis". He manages to get them back to work and to tame Rose, who has some difficulty adapting to her new life. But calm is only temporarily restored, as Pierre and Hortense know.

Hortense must defend against the machinations of Pierre, who wants to leverage the Paradise for his own gains. A police investigation is launched in response to Véra's claims and two girls are arrested. One day, Rose finds a photo of her mother in the house archives, and it is suggested that her mother and Hortense once shared a close personal relationship.

Pierre continues to use The Paradise to serve his own purposes, inviting many wealthy clients on his own accord. Hortense is furious and attempts to spite him by keeping the ladies locked in their rooms. Rose, always in search of information about her mother, presses Hortense, who reveals her mother's true identity.

Angéle's fiancée, Brise Caboche, is desperate to obtain her freedom and blackmails Hortense, who has no choice but to ask her brother for money. However, he is not immediately willing to help a sister who shows public disdain for him. Meanwhile, Rose confides in Véra how she plans to escape The Paradise: seducing Pierre.