At the center of the narration is the story of the rape that the painter Agostino Tassi committed against the very young painter Artemisia Gentileschi and above all the process that followed. The narrative is strictly based on the minutes of the trial which are still at our disposal. Adherence to the historical documentation is so scrupulous that, without fear of error, it can be said that there is not a single sentence uttered by Artemisia or Tassi in the film that was not actually pronounced during the trial.