1861. Theodore Paine has just inherited his father’s
merkin-making business. Being on the brink of adulthood,
all his body wants is to explore his sexual urges, but
puberty has to be put on hold as Theodore tries to fill his
father’s shoes and continue the centuries-long legacy
while taking care of his family.
The pressure is immense, and he lacks some crucial skills
in the customer relationship department – a.k.a. having
a boner every time he is exposed to a nude female body,
which is literally every day in his line of work. Convinced
he can’t change his destiny, he believes he has to get an
heir for Paine & Son, and it must be a son born within
a legitimate marriage – hence his quest for a perfect
mother and wife.
With his business in crisis and impending bankruptcy,
Theodore considers closing down his shop, but a group
of feminists fighting for sexual empowerment protest to
keep it open and their affairs intact. The group is led by
Josephine Lemon – an upper-class lady who is determined
to fight for women’s freedom and swears off marriage. In
her, Theodore finds an unexpected business partner who
handles the PR matters and challenges his beliefs about
what a woman could be. As their partnership deepens, he
begins to question whether his destiny might include her…