A single mother from Nairobi becomes a beacon of hope: a film about the power of solidarity that can apparently make the impossible happen. Queen is a strong-willed woman, who ekes out a living for herself and her two children in 1990s Nairobi. She gets to know the Irish correspondent Anna and an unexpected and unusual friendship ensues. When it turns out that Queen has Aids, Anna arranges for Queen to get treatment. Queen survives, while her friends and neighbours die of the disease. For her, survival is a commitment to fight against injustice.

Veronica is brilliant, gifted and beautiful, but the handsome aristocrat she loves, Marco Venier, cannot marry her because she is penniless and of questionable family. So Veronica's mother, Paola, teaches her to become a courtesan, one of the exotic companions favored by the richest and most powerful Venetian men. Veronica courageously uses her charms to change destiny -- and to give herself a chance at true love.