Denis Diderot, a French Enlightenment philosopher, is part of an aristocratic circle that prints the Encyclopédie, a forbidden publication, on a rural castle estate. The group's activities are disrupted by the arrival of Madame Therbouche, a flirtatious painter from Berlin, who convinces Diderot to pose for her in the nude. This leads to a row with his wife and a confrontation with the feared Cardinal, who is searching for the Encyclopaedia's printers. The baroness attempts to divert the Cardinal's attention by confessing her sins and encouraging the other women to do the same. The group's debauchery is further fueled by exotic foods, naughty pictures, and intimate massages. Diderot's ideas on morality are challenged by his experiences, and secrets eventually spill out, including the portraitist's true agenda and the activities that take place in the chapel.
The Libertine
Denis Diderot, a renowned modernist intellectual of the French 18th-century Enlightenment, is part of an aristocratic circle that embodies libertarian principles on the rural castle estate of the baron of Holbach, where they print influential works.