Blank presents a survey of the cultural history of virginity. She focuses on how virginity has been conctructed and perceived throughout time in Western culture, and also on female virginity. She traces the history from pre-Christian societies like ancient Greece and Rome, through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and through Victorian times to our day. The book begins by introducing the physical side of virginity: the facts and the myths. She reveals the myriad ways virginity has been tested and contested, guarded and faked, and even restored.