Jan is born into the wealthy Visanan family in Bangkok in the 30s; his mother dies in childbirth. His father, an officious civil servant who likes to be called Khun Luang ('Master'), hates the boy so much that Jan comes to question his real parentage. Khun Luang exercises droit de seigneur with every woman in the household, from Jan's nanny to the kitchen maid, and Jan's rebellion against him is partly a matter of moral disgust. But when fate - and one particular unwanted pregnancy - overturns the balance of power in the household, Jan risks becoming the mirror image of the man he most despises...