Nineteenth-century Bangor, known as the Queen City, is a city of sharp contrasts—from the elegant mansions of Broadway, built from lumber fortunes and bootlegged alcohol money, to the poverty- stricken Joppa neighborhood lined with taverns and frequented by desperate men and "fallen women." To survive, Maude, a headstrong midwife; Fanny, the rags-to-riches housemistress of the infamous Pink Chimneys brothel; and Elizabeth, an orphaned, demure seamstress; must form unlikely alliances and discover the strength to overcome the odds in a culture that tries—and fails—to limit their potential.