The setting is in England in the late 1680's. Queen Mary's sister is touring the country searching for a hiding place for a necklace, part of the Crown Jewels, in order to protect them from a plot to steal them. She meets Elaina Ashbrook, the daughter of John Ashbrook, a wealthy business man. Elaina agrees to keep the necklace hidden for the Crown until all perpetrators of the plot can be exposed and brought to justice. Elaina is courted by two men, both of whom she falls in love with, and is torn between what her heart says and what her mind tells her. She eventually learns a shocking revelation about both men. Whle the necklace is in the possession of Elaina, she is thrown into a stream of horrific and dangerous events. Tragedy strikes the country with an outbreak of smallpox, and Elaina's family is not spared. Queen Mary dies by the plague. Elaina is thrown into prison, accused of murder, only to be aided by an unexpected source. Elaina feels she has grown from a young, naive girl to a woman who has had more experiences in a few short months than most have in a lifetime. She feels she has gained invaluable wisdom through her ordeal and she ends up with a man she knows she will spend her life with.