The year is 1896, and the women's rights movement is forging ahead. Eighteen-year-old Jenna Newell is at the threshold of her life, hoping to fulfill her dream of becoming a journalist at a time when women are still expected to follow the traditional paths of marriage and motherhood. Sarah Newell, Jenna's grandmother, has other plans for her, however. Consumed with hatred because of her obsessive love for her deceased daughter, Sarah connives to ensnare her granddaughter in an arranged marriage, but Jenna is determined to live the life she chooses to live. Sarah's diabolical scheme turns deadly, forcing Jenna to flee the people she loves to protect them, and herself, from a terrifying fiend. Jenna dares to seek the fulfillment of another dream, as well - to gain the love of the man who has become her protector, her friend.