Artist Kingdom Swann (Connolly) is dismayed to learn Edwardian London finds his paintings old-fashioned, so loyal servant Violet (Lancashire) buys him a camera so he can experiment. With the help of unscrupulous assistant Marsh (Henshall), Swann becomes a successful society photographer, progressing into "artistic" nudes. However, Marsh is selling the increasingly naughty pics to a specialist clientele without the naive Swann's knowledge.