In a desperate attempt to secure a roof over her younger sister's head, nineteen year old Allie Winthrop takes a job that no one else seemed too eager to apply for. The job is a maid position for a well to do family who had made a fortune in both the ranching and railroad industries.
Her bosses, Mr. and Mrs. Treadwell, aren't exactly the friendliest of people. Pure snobs truly is what they are, but Allie is used to being looked down on by the wealthy. All she cares about is that the jobs pays well and offers room and board to not only her but her sister, Amelia. The Treadwell's had even agreed to allow Amelia to get schooling from the woman they employed to teach their own children.
Life with the Treadwell's is better than the life that Allie and Amelia had known before and Allie feels content and secure until Amelia starts speaking of a man in the attic. Spurred by her sisters stories and by the Treadwell's startling reactions to her questions about the attic, Allie decides to take a look for herself.
What she discovers there will change her life forever.