After a violent coach accident, Marianne wakes with no memory and no idea who she is or where she was going - a name on her brooch the single clue to her identity.


Accompanied only by a young boy, Marianne finds herself lost, afraid, and penniless. Convinced she's being followed, she pleads for help at the nearest village and is offered refuge by a lonely widow at her grand country home, Maulever Hall.


Marianne settles into life at the Hall, finding fast companionship with Mrs Mauleverer. The days pass and no hint of memory returns, but Marianne's need for answers is growing urgent. An unexpected visit from Mrs Mauleverer's aloof son, Mark and his soon-to-be-betrothed, Lady Heverdon has thrown life at the Hall into disarray. They suspect Marianne has come into their lives under false pretences. But the longer she spends with Lady Heverdon, the more Marianne becomes convinced the opposite may be true.


As tensions within the family rise and Marianne finds herself growing closer to Mark, she begins to wonder whether her arrival at Maulever Hall has more to do with fate than chance.