It is 1891, Emily Downing is a young woman trying to find her place in the world. Abandoned by her father at the age of five she is sent to a school in Belgium. At the age of twenty, she is sent to Paris to live with the heiress Beatrice Winston. There she meets Edgar Winston, Beatrice's brooding son, but finds a companion in his best friend, the rogue Alastair Sharpe. In Paris, Emily is exposed to the world for the first time. Unfortunately, no matter how hard she tries, Emily cannot escape her father's indiscretions across the Channel. When her father's gambling habits get out of control, Emily is kidnapped for ransom by the dispossessed Irish Lord, Solomon Jackson. With Jacksin England, Emily finds a freedom she's never experienced before. No longer is she the school girl, the daughter of a penniless gambler, or the precious fiancee. She can rant and rave, laugh and cry, and Jacks will love her for it. But when confronted with the truth of why she is there, Emily must decide if she will return to Paris, or follow her heart, finding the romance and adventure she has longed for."