Having been nominated for various awards for her work in Pride and Prejudice and Atonement , Knightly is no stranger to portraying the Victorian woman.

Based off true events, the film is set during the turnover into the modern era. A young woman by the name of Colette begins writing a successful book series under the name of her well-known Parisian husband (Dominic West).

As the series takes off and becomes a bestseller, the couple are launched into super stardom. However, she soon becomes frustrated with the lack of credit she receives, and begins rebelling by refusing to pen the novels and igniting an affair with the artist Marquise de Belbeuf.