Impoverished Susannah Garland is in love with her dashing cousin, Miles Devereux. Fearing for her life at the hands of her ruthless uncle, she flees when Miles is forced to marry into money. Her skill as a dressmaker is all she has to live on, and she is soon employed by London's foremost house of fashion where her brilliant designs are soon noticed. Then chance flings her into Miles's arms again, but this time he wants her to become his mistress. Susannah also encounters the dangerously attractive Sir Jeffrey Stratton, who despises the Devereux family. Her heart quickens when he proposes to set her up, but he doesn't offer the love she yearns for. Instead, he wants to finance Miss Garland's New House of Fashion.