Alice Wingard tells the story of how Nell Gwyn saves her from destitution when she is orphaned. Nell takes her to live in a bawdy house in Coal Yard Alley. The well-educated Alice finds her new surroundings shocking. Yet the girls' friendship deepens as, together, they move on from the theatre in Drury Lane, to Pall Mall and then to the court of the lascivious Charles II. Sharing happiness and sorrow, they encounter bloodshed, passion and political intrigue ...