Once upon a time, there was prostitute called Maria. At a tender age, she becomes convinced that she will never find true love, instead believing that love is a terrible thing that will make you suffer. . . . A chance meeting in Rio takes her to Geneva, where she dreams of finding fame and fortune. Maria's despairing view of love is put to the test when she meets a handsome young painter. In this odyssey of self-discovery, Maria has to choose between pursuing a path of darkness — sexual pleasure for its own sake — or risking everything to find her own inner light and the possibility of sacred sex, sex in the context of love.