"Belle de Jour" is a French drama about a beautiful housewife, Séverine Serizy (Catherine Deneuve), whose sexual fantasies are dominated — pun intended — by bondage and sadomasochism. Unsatisfied by her husband, Pierre (Jean Sorel), who is only interested in "vanilla" sex, she finds other places to get her kicks — including at a brothel run by Madame Anais (Genevieve Page) and with a young gangster. She starts working at the brothel under the name Belle de Jour and finds the sexual freedom she's been seeking. Soon she's in over her head, though, and has to figure out a way out.