Beautiful young Elizabeth Dunaway is set on never marrying, instead dedicating herself to liberating British women by opening a private Ladies Club, causing a scandal among the men of Victorian London while winning the admiration of many women. Her efforts, however, draw the attention of Ross Carrington, the Earl of Blakestone, a gentleman spy and military strategist, who finds himself intrigued by Elizabeth's fiery independence and sets out to challenge her views.

Elizabeth's activism eventually lands her in jail, from which Ross, surprisingly, offers her a way out through a marriage of convenience, a proposal that shocks her yet leads to unexpected feelings of warmth and affection. Despite her initial resistance, Elizabeth discovers that her marriage to Ross, filled with romance and understanding, might just be the ultimate act of liberation she was seeking.