London, 1820: the city is in turmoil over the King's plans for divorce...
Into this maelstrom is thrown plucky printeress Nell Wingfield, who is turning tricks to survive at one of the Houses of the Quality on St James's. When one of her clients, a leading figure in the establishment, is found dead in her bed, it is time for Nell to flee. She has had more than a commercial relationship with this man, and knows that his enemies will try to exploit this for their own ends. Back home on Cheapside, however, caught between the radical politics of her family and the powerful forces behind the royalist cause, Nell is faced with a stark choice as she fights to stay alive...
