In 1661, 11-year-old Nellie Gwyn and her sister, Rose, are being raised in poverty at Madame Ross' house of gaming and prostitution in London after being left there by their widowed mother. All girls brought there are intended to begin prostitution at this early age. Rose, being older than Nell, has fallen into the expected trade. But Nellie is an exception and refuses to become a whore.

Nellie's aspirations are high as she strives to better herself by becoming the mistress of a wealthy merchant at the age of 14. This aides her in becoming an orange seller at the King's theater where she realizes her love and natural ability for the theater. With her wit and ability to make people laugh, Nellie soon becomes a famous actress.

Nell's ultimate desire is to become the royal mistress of King Charles II. This also becomes reality and they share two children as the years quickly pass leaving Nell with an involvement in politics, but much grief. Besides Queen Catherine, Nell is but one among the King's mistresses and finds the cutthroat world of the court something she hasn't bargained for.

Many events of 17th-century life were certainly eye- openers. It was a little hard for me to believe that an 11- or 12-year-old child could possibly have as much wit and cunning as Nell had to best her elders. She was definitely a funny, but very vulgar, young lady. The love shared between King Charles II and Nell was well-portrayed, and much detail was written about the Court and the politics between the French and English.