When Georgiana Gregory & her maid Kitty make the long sea journey from their native Hull for New York they are expecting to begin a new life in the heady freedom of the newly-formed United States of America. Georgiana wants to escape from the confines of English life & to savour a land of emancipation & opportunity. But in New York she encounters a man passing himself off as her brother-in-law Edward Newmarch a local mill-owners son who has abandoned Georgianas sister & fled to America. Georgiana recognises the man standing before her as Edward Newmarchs valet Robert Allen
- Edward himself appears to have vanished. But Edward having escaped from a disastrous marriage in England is now in further trouble with women having agreed to marry the difficult daughter of a powerful landowner & businessman while pursuing his beautiful wife Sofia. As Georgiana & Kitty pursue the adventures of the frontier & Edward tries to flee his enemies the dangers of this new country seem too much to cope with.