When Dorothea Harcourt falls in love with the dashing Mr Detherfield she tries desperately to hide her feelings, afraid that he will uncover the scandal of her mother's past. Her problems multiply when the spiteful Mrs Howard threatens to reveal the secret, for exposure would ruin her cousin Clio's chances of marrying with an unsullied reputation. But when Clio is kidnapped and held for ransom, Dorothea must forget her old anxieties. She needs Mr Detherfield's help if she is to rescue her cousin before it is too late ...