When a strikingly beautiful but naive young Dorian (Ben Barnes) arrives in Victorian London he is swept into a social whirlwind by the charismatic Henry Wotton (Colin Firth), who introduces Dorian to the hedonistic pleasures of the city. Henry's friend, society artist Basil Hallward (Ben Chaplin) paints a portrait of Dorian to capture the full power of his youthful beauty and when it's unveiled Dorian makes a flippant pledge: he would give anything to stay as he is in the picture - even his soul.