Fanny Hill is the first erotic novel ever published and follows the character of Fanny Hill through her adolescent career in prostitution. This novel explores concepts in, not only prostitution, but different sexual fantasies including dominant/submissive relationships, rape fantasies, mutual masturbation, and whether or not it is possible to have sex for pleasure, without love.

Orphaned at the age of 15, Fanny Hill is left to a life of prostitution after mistakenly thinking she was hired to be a maid. She falls in love with a man named Charles, who eventually helps her to escape the brothel and moves her into his own apartment. When Fanny becomes pregnant, Charles disappears and Fanny loses the child which leads Fanny to sink into a deep depression and enter back into a life of prostitution.

She then meets another man who puts her up in an apartment in exchange for sex and supports her and gives her expensive gifts, allowing her to live a lavish lifestyle. Jealousy rears its head and Fanny is left with nothing, and has to find another brothel to work in where she is introduced to many types of sexual behavior.

When the madam of the brothel retires and all the girls part ways, Fanny must learn to support herself on her own and becomes determined to find her long lost love Charles who left her.