The novel is set in Norway's capital, Christiania, and deals with the life of the unmarried seamstress Albertine, who is eventually forced into prostitution due to the social system of the time.

In 1888 the Supreme Court of Norway upheld the confiscation, and Krohg was sentenced to pay a fine of 100 kr.

[5] The book was published on 20 December 1886, and the next day it was confiscated by the police, following orders from the Minister of Justice.

[6] A demonstration held outside Prime Minister Johan Sverdrup's (1884–1889) office in January 1887 gathered 5,000 protesters, largely workers and students.

The debate following the publishing and confiscation of Albertine expedited the abolition of public prostitution in Norway.