A look at the scandalous love triangle between Victorian art critic John Ruskin (Greg Wise), his teenage bride Euphemia "Effie" Gray (Dakota Fanning), and Pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Millais (Tom Sturridge).

When Effie Gray becomes the wife of distinguished writer John Ruskin, it soon becomes apparent that Ruskin regards her as a muse rather than a wife, and the stifling atmosphere of their home soon takes a toll on Effie's health.