Set in the mid-1800s, My Secret Life tells the story of Sara Willis, who began her life as the daughter of a poor Jewish tailor living in Cambridge, Massachusetts. A traumatic childhood event causes Sara to live her life as a boy named Sam Willis. The story chronicles Sara/Samas astonishing career as a bank robber, jewelry store thief and forger. And then, at the height of her career, she changes sides and, with the help of the famous detective William Pinkerton, helps solve a case involving J.P. Morgan. Sara/Samas reward is a fortune, respectability, and a successful career as a Tammany Hall politician where she is thought of by her associates as a man. Her marriage to Frances Grant, J.P. Morgan’s female cousin, aides and abets the masquerade.