Florence Pugh plays an evil prostitute in 'East of Eden' tv series - Here's everything we know about it. (Patreon)

East of Eden starring Florence Pugh is still adding cast members and is currently in pre-production, with principal photography set to begin soon.

The role Florence Pugh is playing in this series—based on the classic novel—is the most daring and challenging of her acting career.

East of Eden is a story about two families, the Trasks and the Hamiltons, set in California’s Salinas Valley. It deals with deep themes of good, evil, and personal choice. The book is divided into four parts, so I’ll break the plot down in a simple and easy-to-understand way.

The novel opens with a vivid description of the Salinas Valley and introduces Samuel Hamilton, a kind-hearted Irish immigrant and inventor, along with his large family. Samuel struggles as a farmer but is rich in intellect and wisdom.

The Trask family is introduced through Cyrus Trask, a Civil War veteran who amasses wealth through shady means. His sons, Adam and Charles, grow up in Connecticut. Adam is gentle and sensitive, while Charles is aggressive and competitive—creating a Cain-and-Abel type dynamic.

Cyrus favors Adam, which makes Charles jealous. After a violent incident, Adam joins the army, and Charles inherits the family farm.

Then comes the introduction of Cathy Ames, a deeply disturbing and sociopathic woman who manipulates and destroys everyone she meets. She murders her parents by burning down their house, becomes a prostitute, and is later nearly beaten to death by a pimp named Mr. Edwards. Charles finds her and takes her in.

Adam, returning home, falls for Cathy without knowing her true nature. They marry, and Adam, driven by his idealism, moves to the Salinas Valley with Cathy. Samuel Hamilton helps them settle into their new life.

Cathy, now pregnant, gives birth to twins—Aron and Caleb (Cal). But she has zero maternal instincts. She shoots Adam in the shoulder and abandons her family to work at a brothel in Salinas, using the name “Kate.” The brothel is run by Faye, who takes her in like a daughter.

Adam is left heartbroken and neglects his sons. They’re raised by Lee, the Trask family’s Chinese-American servant and a deeply philosophical figure. Eventually, Samuel Hamilton discovers Cathy’s true identity and urges Adam to move on for the sake of his sons. Samuel dies shortly after, a major turning point in the story.

As the story shifts to the teenage years of Aron and Cal, the same good vs. evil dynamic plays out again. Aron is idealistic and pure, while Cal struggles with dark impulses.

Cal discovers that Kate, now a ruthless brothel madam, is his real mother. He keeps it secret but battles with the fear that her evil runs in his blood.

Meanwhile, Aron falls for Abra Bacon, a practical and kind girl. But their relationship suffers due to Aron’s unrealistic and idealized view of love and women.

Adam loses his fortune in a failed refrigerated lettuce business. Cal secretly earns money through bean farming, taking advantage of the wartime economy, in hopes of redeeming himself and helping his father.

When Cal offers the money, Adam rejects it—calling it war profiteering. Cal is crushed. In a fit of revenge, he takes Aron to see Kate, destroying Aron’s innocent image of his mother.

Aron can’t handle the truth. He enlists in the army and is later killed in World War I. The news devastates Adam, who has a stroke.

On his deathbed, with the help of Lee and Abra, Adam tells Cal “timshel”—a Hebrew word meaning “thou mayest.” It symbolizes free will, suggesting that Cal isn’t doomed to be evil. The novel ends with Cal and Abra coming together, offering a glimpse of hope and redemption.

Florence Pugh’s character, Cathy, is truly evil and will push her acting skills like never before. Her character poisons Faye, the woman who took her in and treated her like a daughter, just to take over the brothel.

Cathy uses sex to manipulate men—let’s see how much sex and nudity is in this novel:

The novel includes multiple sexual situations, but none are described explicitly—they’re tied to the plot and written with restraint.

Most of the sexual content revolves around Cathy. As a teenager, she seduces her teacher and other men to get what she wants. One of the darkest moments in the novel involves her being R*-ped by a group of boys. Her twisted response? Burning down her house with her parents inside.

At the brothel, Cathy engages in humiliating sex acts for clients and even encourages them to be degrading and forceful. She watches others have sex and participates in bizarre sexual behavior.

There’s no direct mention of lesbian scenes, but Cathy (Kate in brothel) uses her body to seduce both men and women. Her participation in brothel orgies strongly implies that lesbian encounters likely happen—they’re just not described in detail.

One especially disturbing detail is that Cal develops lustful feelings for his mother after learning who she is, but this is never deeply explored in the book.

That’s all the sexual content covered in the novel. Keep in mind, though, that the book was written in the 1950s, so it avoids graphic language and descriptions. Back then, being too explicit would have made the novel too controversial.

Now here's where it gets interesting—Netflix might expand on this.

Florence Pugh has never shied away from bold roles or nudity, and it’s possible Netflix cast her for that exact reason. She’s one of the few A-list actresses today who is both open to doing nudity and also an incredible performer.

Other cast members like Mike Faist (Challengers) and Christopher Abbott (Poor Things, Sanctuary) suggest that Netflix is recruiting actors comfortable with sexual roles.

The series is produced by Anonymous Content—the same company behind True Detective, The L Word, Disclaimer, and other shows known for sexual content (you can check out the full list online).

Sure, the writer and directors attached to the series don’t have an extensive history of directing explicit content. But there’s still hope. The first four episodes will be directed by Garth Davis, and the final three by Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre—who directed Lady Chatterley’s Lover (2022), which had plenty of nudity and intimate scenes.

As of now, no intimacy coordinator has been confirmed for the project. That would’ve helped us better gauge how graphic the sex scenes might be. But since the series is still in pre-production, that position will likely be filled later.

The series is expected to premiere in 2026.