The Kingdom of Pernia, 1785. It's the fortieth day of Amande's preparation - forty days of sexual abstinence, rousing her nubile young body to a frenzy of carnal anticipation. Tomorrow she faces the ultimate test - the Ordeal by Climax. But tonight she lies on a quilted bed in an Arabian palace contemplating revenge on the woman who has corrupted her... Angel, Countess of Mornay and the most notorious woman in Paris, is the scheming adventuress who has debauched Amande's sensual nature, plunging her into a mesmerising world of exotic practices. And yet Angel's gift, the instrument of Amande's torture, still encircles her most intimate portion, enslaving her and enrapturing her in equal measure - the Pleasure Ring.