Bookish Nora is tricked onto stage by her crush and drenched in red paint; at home she finds her terminally ill mother in an emergency. Desperate, she turns to campus terror Damian, who demands she be on call and belong to him body and soul. With her mother critical, she agrees. After a stunning transformation, she falls for him—only to find his protection can become a cage. When he loses power, she breaks free, uncovers his dark past, and ultimately turns his possessiveness into mutual, consensual love.