London, 1871

Life in the Whitechapel slums is dark, dirty, and dangerous, particularly for a young woman on her own. To survive, Coventry Adams must rely on quick wits and nimble fingers. Dishonored and damaged, cut off from her family, she makes a perilous living preying on those who would take advantage of her.

But when she steals from the wrong gentleman, Coventry's precarious existence is shattered. The man is a Minister of Parliament, engaged in negotiating a delicate international agreement. He is murdered that very night, and suddenly Scotland Yard wants very badly to find the girl who appears to be an assassin. A keen young detective is hot on her trail, convinced of her guilt.

Pursued by policemen, foreign agents, and criminals, alone in an overcrowded city, Coventry must call on all her skill as a social chameleon, passing through every level of London society in a frantic race to uncover the truth before she is punished for a crime she did not commit. In the process, in spite of the risks, she must open her hardened heart and allow friendship and trust to blossom once more.