Catherine is a middle-aged college professor who, on the side, writes soft porn for women; her sister Vinny is a poet. Catherine is married to Adam, and when Vinny comes to visit, it becomes clear that Vinny once loved Adam, but lost him to her sister. Their story is paralleled by fictional letters from Charlotte Bronte to her adored Belgian professor, M. Heger--who, she suspects, is in love with her sister Emily.