In 1913 an orphan girl is delivered to The Hall of Eternal Splendour, seemingly destined to live out her life as a prostitute in its smoky backrooms. Yet one day hope appears in the unlikely form of a customs inspector, a modest man who will take Pan Yuliang as his concubine and introduce her to a glamorous new life in 1920s' Shanghai: a life of love and of art. But, as Pan begins to realise her talent as a painter she also sees that she may lose something, even more precious: a life of safety.