It's 1874, and newly betrothed Ruth Mallowes arrives at Beulah Lodge, her austerely religious aunt Beatrice's crumbling, isolated house in the North Yorkshire moors. Ruth plans to join her fiancé when he has established his mission in India, but what was supposed to be only a temporary stay will change her life forever.

Eliza Chambers has survived on the streets of Victorian London any way she can, and her future depends on her keeping her housemaid position at Beulah Lodge, even if it means enduring the cruelty of her mistress. Her growing attraction to Ruth, and the affection Ruth returns, could cost her everything.

When Ruth and Eliza's chance at happiness is threatened by tragedy, Ruth is forced to confront the ultimate choice: her duty or her heart.