American oil painter Charlotte Bolling travels to Venice, Italy for three months to study the architecture of the old city and paint. She meets Vincente Canaletto, an Italian man who owns a water taxi and gondola business. They're attracted to each other and begin to date. Charlotte trusts Vincente with information about her past. She ran away from home at age thirteen when her mother, who was a madam in a house of ill repute, offered Charlotte's virginity to the highest bidder.
Vincente's son was abducted and Vincente's been on a quest to find him for years. When the boy is located by an investigator in Bangkok in a bordello, Charlotte insists on accompanying Vincente to the capital city in Thailand since she believes her own past will be invaluable in winning the child's trust. They embark on a dangerous rescue mission in the back streets of that city.