Mary Vere, servant girl, is determined to become a lady and locate her missing father. When the chance arrives to make her dreams a reality, she leaves Alabama for California and gradually reinvents herself into the alluring and mysterious Monique Vandreuil. Monique falls in love, giving her heart to Jeremy Johnston, one of the men who helps her establish her new identity. But when Jeremy weds another woman in San Francisco, a despondent Monique heads for the rip-roaring, lawless town of Virginia City, Nevada, accompanied by Philippe Manigault, a professional gambler and the man who taught her to be a lady. Life is no easier in Virginia City, however, when Monique and Philippe quickly run afoul of Alex Campbell, the ruthless, lethal, and self-styled 'king of the town.' Forced to take drastic measures to earn a living, Monique opens a high-class parlor house, which she christens The Flame, and eventually becomes a power in Virginia City. Yet continually haunted by controversy and scandal, and plagued by Jeremy's moral wife, how can Monique bring down Alex Campbell for all the evil he's bestowed upon her? And will she ever find true and everlasting love?