An innocent raised in a house of sin... Lily is the product of a doomed romance between Neal Kale, a dashing aristocrat, and Zara, a beautiful high-class prostitute. Against all odds, Zara manages to shelter her daughter from the depravity of her life, accepting brutalization from her pimp in order to do so. She is diagnosed with a terminal disease when Lily is still a teenager. Knowing her innocent daughter will not survive long in the violent world of her birth, Zara entreats her to flee to her father’s family. Initially unwelcome at the Kale estate, Lily must learn to navigate the complexities of sophisticated society. Unsure of whether she is a mistress or a servant, she is wooed by a groom who works in the stables and also attracts the attention of an arrogant cavalry officer. She’s dogged by Zara’s old pimp and madam, who wish to drag her back into her mother’s debauched profession. At the same time, she faces contempt and ridicule in the glittering circle of her father’s family. Torn between a world she seeks to escape and one that will not accept her, Lily must decide whether to settle for safety or risk everything to follow her heart.