Friends since childhood, Anais Darnby and Lindsay Markham have long harbored a secret passion for one another. When they finally confess their love, their future together seems assured, sealed with their searing embrace.<P>But when a debauched Lindsay is seduced by a scheming socialite, a devastated Anais seeks refuge in another man's bed while Lindsay retreats to the exotic East. There, he is seduced again&#151;this time by the alluring red smoke and sinister beauty of opium.<P>Back home, Lindsay's addiction is fed by the vogue for all things Oriental&#151;especially its sensual pleasures&#151;in fashionable London society. In his lucid moments, Lindsay still lusts after Anais, who can neither allow him near nor forget his smoldering touch. Tortured by two obsessions&#151;opium and Anais&#151;Lindsay must ultimately decide which is the one he truly cannot live without.