Set in the lower echelons of 1860s Paris, Therese Raquin, a sexually repressed beautiful young woman, is trapped into a loveless marriage to her sickly cousin, Camille, by her domineering aunt, Madame Raquin. Therese spends her days confined behind the counter of a small shop and her evenings watching Madame play dominoes with an eclectic group. After she meets her husband's alluring friend, Laurent, she embarks on an illicit affair that leads to tragic consequences.

As a conceited scholar of the Ming Dynasty, Wei Yangsheng believes that since life is short, one should pursue the ultimate sexual pleasure as time allows. Wei Yangsheng encounters Tie Fei the Taoist priest's daughter, Tie Yuxiang, on an occasion. With the former's talent and the latter's beauty, they fall in love at first sight, and Wei Yangsheng is later married into the Tie's family. Yuxiang is elegant and courteous under the influence of her father's faith, though her lack of passion cannot fully satisfy Wei Yangsheng's sexual needs. His disappointment is no less than his affection for her.

When a handsome, charming teenager named Noah (Ryan Guzman) moves in next door, newly separated high-school teacher Claire Peterson (Jennifer Lopez) encourages his friendship and engages in a little bit of harmless (or so she thinks) flirtation. Although Noah spends much of the time hanging out with Claire's son, the teen's attraction to her is palpable. One night, Claire gives in to temptation and lets Noah seduce her, but when she tries to end the relationship, he turns violent.