Fanny by Gaslight

Nine-year-old Fanny and a street friend wander into a basement that is a brothel and nightclub called Hopwood Shades. She is given a coin and pulled out by Joe, her father's handyman. Back at home, her father hosts a birthday party and her parents decide to send her away to boarding school.

In 1880, Fanny returns to London after finishing boarding school and learns that her father runs a nearby nightclub and brothel, connected to their house by a secret door. He clearly does not want her involved, and the household lives under the shadow of this hidden business. The setup foreshadows the coming conflicts between duty and desire.

Fanny's father is killed in a fight with Lord Manderstoke. The inquest reveals that he ran a brothel, shocking the family and exposing the hidden world behind the house. The revelation compounds Fanny's outsider status within her own family.

Fanny is sent to work for the Heaviside/Seymore family and is introduced as Mrs Heaviside's niece, given the name Fanny Hooper. Clive Seymore reveals that he is her true father and that he paid William Hopwood to look after her. He hopes to protect her, even as the secret threatens to upend both families.

Mr. Seymore takes Fanny on holiday, building trust and slowly considering telling the world that she is his daughter. The trip hints at an eventual confrontation between personal truth and social reputation. They bond during the retreat.

During the countryside holiday, Fanny paints by a lake but a dog spoils her picture. The dog belongs to Harry Somerford, with whom she chats and shares a moment of connection. The meeting plants a seed of a complicated relationship.

Back at the Seymore mansion, the dog appears at Fanny's door. She sees Harry Somerford engaged in business talk with her father, a young friend of the family. He must return to London without her, and she begins to call him 'father'.

She resumes her duties as a maid within the large Seymore house, living under a veil of secrecy about her origins. The daily routine underscores the social divides and tight control the household maintains.

A visitor, Lord Manderstoke, encounters Fanny on the stairs and recognises her as Hopwood's daughter. He is revealed to be the lover of Mrs Seymore, adding tension to the hidden family history.

Mr. Seymore reveals to his wife that Fanny is his daughter. Fanny asks for a divorce so she can marry Manderstoke. Overcome by disgrace and fear of scandal, Mr. Seymore commits suicide.

Fanny leaves the Seymore estate and returns to her home territory, stepping away from the secret world she has lived in. This departure marks a turning point toward a new life.

Somerford, as trustee to Mr. Seymore's will, delivers property shares to Fanny. A letter reveals that Fanny is Seymore's daughter and that he loved Somerford like a son.

Somerford's sister visits and tells Fanny that Somerford wants to marry her but that it would ruin his reputation. Somerford himself then appears and asks her to marry him.

In the final scene, Somerford has been shot in the chest and Fanny, along with a physician, cares for him. His sister reappears and demands to take him into her care, saying she would rather he die than be with Fanny. Ultimately, Somerford chooses to live.