At a Women’s Movement meeting in 1870s Boston, fiercely independent feminist Olive becomes enamored with gifted young orator Verena—who in turn attracts the attentions of Olive’s cousin Basil, a conservative lawyer from the South. The two charismatic cousins compete for Vera’s heart and mind.

Adapting Henry James’s tragicomic novel with precision and style, this lavish, Oscar®-nominated Merchant Ivory production revolves around a fiery battle of wills. Tinged with sapphic desire, the central love triangle delicately hints at the complexities of women’s suffrage in 19th-century America.