In a case that shocked the nation maids Christine and Lea Papin admit to the murder of the mother and daughter of their master. The sisters gouged out the eyes of the victims and are discovered in bed together. It is revealed that their mistress had discovered they were in love and they killed her to protect themselves from disgrace.
The crime is one of the most violent France has ever seen but the murderers cause was taken up by many of the intellectual of the time due to the harsh conditions the maids worked under. The women become a symbol of oppression.