In 1960, the British Crown sued Penguin for publishing “Lady Chatterley’s Lover” by D.H. Lawrence, which was written in the 1920s. Nearly 30 years after Penguin decided it was time for the book to see light in England. The Crown disagreed. For six days, prosecutors and lawyers debated the literary qualities of the book, in which sex is discussed openly, to determine whether it should be denounced as pornographic or hailed as a masterpiece of eroticism, love, and feminism.

The film is based on transcripts from the trial, while actors re-create key moments from the courtroom. The film also recounts the sad story of Lawrence, the son of a coal miner, who loved his wife with all his heart. Lawrence was seemingly inspired by her to write his tale about a woman who has an affair with a gamekeeper when her paralyzed husband can’t fulfill her needs. Lawrence died in a sanatorium and never got to witness the great influence his book would have.