Original subtitles

Based on true events, a young woman is forced to confront the harsh reality of survival

when she must choose between selling her dignity or abandoning her aspirations.

Laura, a foreign languages student, passes out during class.

When she regains consciousness, she seeks assistance from social services.

She informs the social worker that she can’t afford the €60 needed for cafeteria meals,

to which she’s told to sue her parents if they won’t provide for her.

She dismisses the thought, knowing her parents would readily provide for her if they could.

Seeing that they’re unwilling to help her, she storms off.

At home, the struggling student discusses her situation with Manu, her boyfriend.

He suggests looking for a second job if she can’t pay her share of their living expenses.

That night, power goes out and she admits to not paying the electric bill.

Laura promises to pay it tomorrow, but they both know she doesn’t have the money.

Desperate, she looks at online ads aimed at adults.

The desperate student responds to an ad by Joe, a 50-year-old looking for female tenderness.

She messages him, asking what he means by tenderness, to which he answers massages and

caresses but assures her that they’ll stop whenever she’s uncomfortable.

Joe then provides a picture of himself to prove his sincerity.

The next day, Laura takes extra care freshening up.

Feeling guilty, she gives Manu a kiss before going out.

At their designated meeting place, Laura takes a moment to compose herself before approaching

Joe and entering the hotel.

Inside, Joe hands her a letter.

In it, he thanks her for being on time and then gives instructions for today’s rendezvous.

First, she’s told to unclothe then shower.

When she gets out of the bathroom, Laura finds her client laying on the bed barely clothed.

Joe tells Laura that he enjoys roleplaying and informs her of today’s scene.

Then, they begin their play as Laura knocks and hurries inside their room.

Inside, Joe is on the bed waiting, he welcomes her, then tells her to caress herself.

Tearfully, Laura complies but soon admits that she can’t.

The man laughs and says he understands, calling her to his side instead.

He lays her down and strokes her hair, but when he goes for a kiss Laura flinches.

At this, Joe ends their play.

He attempts to ease her discomfort by learning more about her, asking whether she's in a

relationship and if the money is for herself.

Laura denies both questions, and Joe commends her for taking care of those dependent on

her, sharing that he has a daughter he supports.

However, Laura insists that she wants Joe to remain a stranger.

Joe concurs, acknowledging that it's unwise to mix business with pleasure.

He promises to bring her a gift on their next rendezvous, certain that she'll like it.

As their time together ends, Joe tells Laura to get dressed before handing over an envelope,

saying he enjoyed their time together.

When she opens the envelope, her demeanor changes and gives Joe a small smile.

Once alone, Laura can’t contain her joy and treats her friends to drinks before heading

to work.

There, she happily responds to another ad for companionship.

At home, she looks at Manu while they’re brushing their teeth and says nothing, no

longer feeling guilty for what she’s about to do.

Soon, she meets with Berni, her new client, at a restaurant.

During dinner, she asks why he’s looking for companionship.

He confides that his marriage is cold and his beautiful wife always rejects his advances.

Laura sympathizes with him, commenting that a marriage without intimacy is just friendship.

She cuts their dinner short and invites him to a hotel.

Instead, Berni drives to a deserted parking lot, where they conduct their transaction.

However, it was more aggressive than Laura expected, leaving her feeling violated.

Dejected, she hugs her boyfriend the moment he gets home.

But Manu, oblivious to her feelings, only accuses her of eating his food and goes to

sleep.

Angry, Laura reveals getting abused to earn money for rent, but he doesn’t believe her

and goes to sleep.

Hurt and frustrated, she decides to end their relationship.

On Christmas, Laura is staying at her friend’s house in exchange for helping with schoolwork

Afterwards, she heads to a pub to continue studying but is pestered by men trying to

get her attention.

She’s relieved when a man named Benjamin steps in and pretends to be her boyfriend.

They spend the evening talking and eventually, he walks her home.

After sharing a kiss and a heartfelt hug at her doorstep, she resumes her distance and

insists she’ll call him after her exams.

Benjamin laughs off her polite rejection and walks off.

At a boudoir shoot, the photographer advises Laura to be more provocative in her poses,

stating it’s what she has to do if she wants to make it big.

She rejects the idea, stating she’s only doing this to make ends meet.

Instead, she’s aiming to be a translator or interpreter and lead a nomadic lifestyle.

After payment, the photographer offers her another job: one of his clients is looking

for another girl to join in their rendezvous and is willing to pay €200 an hour.

Laura declines, stating she doesn’t want anyone touching her body regardless of the

pay.

That night, despite her words to the photographer, she looks up offering more daring services.

She calls a student-hustler online, who tells her how much they earn with just 5 clients

a month.

Ashamed at being overheard, Laura ends their conversation when she hears someone approaching.

The following day, Laura is envious of the girls at school with their jewelry and designer

bags.

She elects to offer more of her services to increase her income.

While folding clothes, her client offers to let Laura stay in his apartment in exchange

for a few nights of intimacy each month.

He states that it’s a popular arrangement for students, telling her to think about it.

On the ride home, Laura repeats to herself that she’s not a courtesan.

Reality quickly sinks in when she calculates her finances, realizing she’s still short

on money.

While walking past a pub, she spots Benjamin sitting inside.

She lingers there for a moment, but when he notices her, she quickly flees and says that

she’ll call him.

While at work, a laptop from a catalog catches Laura’s eye, and she decides it would be

the perfect birthday present.

She rushes home after work, but after reviewing her finances, she realizes she needs quick

cash.

So, she contacts Joe to arrange another rendezvous, mentioning her financial needs and desire

for a laptop of her own.

On the night before Laura’s birthday, her mother greets her and asks what she plans

to do.

Laura replies that it’s just a normal working day.

On her birthday, Laura meets with Joe who instructs her to go to the room ahead of him.

When she enters the room, she’s greeted by an explicit movie playing on a laptop.

She mutes the movie and admires the device before reading Joe’s customary letter.

The letter indicates that this will be their last encounter and details her instructions.

Shortly after, Joe arrives and Laura addresses him as "master" while inviting him in.

He instructs her to lie on the bed and retrieve a package underneath it.

What Laura finds is a new laptop, making her happy.

Joe then unmutes the explicit movie and calls Laura over to him.

She complies, but is disturbed by the movie’s audio.

He forces her to look, but she expresses that it's not her preference.

Joe dismisses her opinion, stating that it's his preference and tells her that today's

scene will be similar.

She’s concerned, but Joe assures her not to worry.

However, as he brings out more props, Laura becomes horrified.

Soon, she manages to break her restraints and runs into the bathroom.

Holding back her tears, she declares that their time is finished.

Her client reminds her that they still have an hour left, but Laura apologizes and says

she has to go.

She then grabs the laptop and hurries out.

Joe catches up with her to hand over her forgotten payment and apologizes for his behavior, stating

that it was only a fantasy.

Laura recoils from his touch and quickly leaves.

Laura rushes home, pays rent, then retreats to her room, where she breaks down in tears.

After some time, she musters the courage to call someone.

Later, Benjamin arrives with flowers.

She invites him in, and they share a warm embrace.

They quickly end up in bed, but Laura is unable to respond.

Eventually, she opens up to him about her troubles.

Afterwards, Laura asks Benjamin if he's disgusted by her actions, but he reassures her that

he isn't.

He tells her that she's not a courtesan, echoing what Laura already tells herself.

Soon, she recovers and is able to laugh once more.

Despite her harrowing experience, Laura continues to accept more clients.

Unfortunately, another client takes advantage of her, paying only €20 instead of the agreed-upon

€200.

Upon seeing Benjamin, Laura rushes into his arms.

She reveals that she sold herself for the price of 6 beers.

Benjamin comforts her and tells her to only offer her services after receiving full payment.

As they walk home, they make a vow to always inform each other of her clients and schedule.

Laura laughs and refers to him as her 'pimp.’

Soon, Laura meets with another client, with whom she displays discomfort.

Moments later, while Laura studies, Benjamin initiates an intimate moment, which they both

enjoy.

With her new financial situation, Laura's school performance improves.

However, Benjamin notices that she’s taking on more clients and spending money on frivolous

things.

During dinner, Laura excitedly shares that her professor believes she has the potential

to pursue a PhD in languages.

While they're talking, her phone rings, and she declines a client's offer to meet that

night.

However, the caller persists, causing Benjamin to grab the phone and yell at the person,

making a scene.

At home, Laura consoles her boyfriend, knowing that her work is causing distress.

That night, Benjamin tries to be intimate, but he’s unable to.

He admits to seeing disturbing images of what Laura might be doing at work.

He confides that every time they go out, he imagines what she might’ve done to earn

the money they’re spending.

Despite this, Laura is once again with Joe.

She asks him why he’s paying for women's time, to which he explains that in today's

society, everything is for sale, even fantasies.

As long as there’s consent, everyone involved benefits from the transaction.

Before getting dressed, Laura reminds him that she didn’t consent to what he did last

time.

Her regular apologizes once again, but this time he tries to gaslight her by saying that

what he did was for her benefit.

Once Laura and Joe part ways, Benjamin appears.

Appalled, Laura tells him never to follow her again.

He justifies his actions by saying that a man should pick up his woman after work.

She retorts that the woman exiting the hotel wasn't her, but someone else who was simply

doing her job.

Still, the couple argue, with Benjamin expressing his disbelief that she would continue seeing

a man that hurt her.

Laura justifies it, stating there aren’t many opportunities to earn €200 for just

a few hours of talking.

She offers to stop seeing Joe, but he replies by accusing her of selling herself to afford

luxuries.

Laura clarifies that she only bought something for herself once and that the rest of the

money goes to her bills.

Benjamin finally concedes that he can’t help being jealous, that if they continue

he’ll drive both of them crazy.

That said, he decides to end their relationship.

Indignant, Laura screams at him for being a 30-year-old bum leeching off her body.

She reminds him that he doesn't contribute to the living expenses, while expecting her

to work a minimum-wage job that will take up all of her time.

The ex-couple exchange more choice words before Benjamin storms off.

Afterwards, Laura storms into the photographer's studio, demanding that all of her photos be

destroyed.

Amused, the photographer touches her and says he might change his mind if she begs.

Infuriated, Laura resorts to violent acts.

He retaliates by degrading her, revealing everyone in town knows she’s a cheap courtesan.

Laura is stunned and retreats in shame, realizing her reputation has been ruined.

Days pass, and Joe reaches out to Laura.

Laura then informs her regular that she’s planning to move to Paris and start over.

He offers her €1,000 for a final rendezvous, claiming that she’ll need the money since

Paris is an expensive city.

Laura hesitates at first, but the money is too good to ignore.

As usual, Laura reads Joe’s prepared letter at the start of their rendezvous, which states

that they’ll be visiting a nearby club for their final rendezvous.

She’s hesitant to leave the hotel, stating that she doesn't want to be seen.

Joe assures her that the club is discreet and very dark.

Then, Joe has Laura change into a negligee and covers it with a trench coat before heading

to the club.

Inside, he leads her to a dark room, where they find two men and a Saint Andrew’s cross

waiting for her.

After their time is up, Laura quickly heads to the shower and scrubs herself aggressively.

She stumbles out of the club feeling disgusted and violated.

When they return to the hotel, Joe attempts to justify what happened by saying he paid

a fair price for her time.

Still, Laura is angry and demands her payment.

He tells her to get dressed and says he'll leave the payment on the bed.

They agree to meet again on Thursday, and Laura enters the bathroom.

Once alone, she breaks down in tears.

Joe has already left when she exits the bathroom.

She takes her payment but is distressed to see only €100 inside.

She searches the room and finds another envelope underneath the bed, stating she’ll get the

rest on Thursday.

Devastated by being tricked, Laura once again bursts into tears.

The following day at school, she pays her friend to photocopy their lectures and send

them to her, so she can continue her studies while in Paris.

Later, Laura arrives at the meeting place with her packed bags but Joe doesn't show

up.

She calls him but he doesn't answer, so she leaves him a voicemail threatening to expose

him if he doesn't contact her by the end of the day.

While on the train, Joe finally calls and apologizes, explaining that he suffered a

heart attack.

He tells her that his wife blocked all his accounts and he can't wire the money, but

suggests that they meet the next day so he can give the cash in person.

Joe reveals that he is terminally ill.

Unconvinced, Laura demands a check instead.

Her regular refuses, saying that he doesn't want any paper trail.

He promises to pay her the next day, but they have to meet in person.

Laura hangs up after Joe also expresses that he really wants to see her.

With nowhere else to stay in the meantime, Laura sleeps at the home of the hustler she

met online.

Laura spends the next few days job hunting, but things aren’t going so well.

She’s taking a break at a park when she receives a call from Joe.

Furious, she wishes him dead and hangs up.

Joe then sends her messages offering money for one final meeting.

When he calls again, Laura screams at him in anger.

Her outburst draws the attention of a passerby.

Fortunately, thanks to Joe, the passerby that noticed her is now her new boss, who hired

her as a wine steward.

Unlike other places she applied to, he’s supportive of her schooling and allows her

to work and study simultaneously.

As time passes, Laura gets overwhelmed and considers giving up.

However, her friend motivates her to keep going.

Laura perseveres, eventually taking her quarterly exams.

While at work, Laura checks her exam results, and upon seeing that she has passed all her

subjects, her colleagues join her in celebration.

Finally, she’s found a supportive environment and a group of friends happy to see her succeed.

Subsequently, she calls Joe but he doesn’t answer so she leaves him a voicemail reporting

her recent accomplishments.

As the persevering woman tours around a new apartment to live in, a landlord is amused

that students are boldly renting expensive apartments despite working part-time jobs.

He jokingly tells her that they’ll drink champagne if he decides to rent the place

to her.

Years later, Laura goes for a studio interview regarding her book.

The interviewer inquires if she continued offering her services while in Paris, but

she chooses not to respond.

Once she's out of frame, Laura removes her disguise, while the interviewer continues

to report that many French students resort to extreme measures to pursue their studies.

And Laura's book is meant to draw attention to this sad fact.