In 1873 San Francisco, Ann Lovell, a young woman desperate to change her future, dares to take on the position of governess to the sons of the mysterious and enigmatic Benedict Trevelyan. She refuses to believe in the dark rumors of a cursed family or that he had a hand in the death of his wife. After all, Ann was a practical woman and had no patience for nonsense. She also knew firsthand how cruel and untrue gossip could be, for it had ruined her mother’s life.

But from the moment Ann enters the Trevelyan Manor, she is aware of a sinister force at work and as she becomes embroiled in the lives of those living within shadowed halls, she discovers dangerous secrets. Everyone is not who they appear to be and someone doesn’t want her there, especially when she starts asking questions about the death of Benedict’s wife.

As Ann uncovers more and more about the past, she believes that the previous Mistress of Trevelyan was murdered. Yet, her heart succumbs not only to the small, motherless boys in her care, but also falls prey to the master of Trevelyan Manor and his passions. He introduces her to a new world of sensual pleasures that shake her loose from her practical foundations.

Soon, the danger surrounding her grows deadly and the key to Ann’s destiny or destruction lies within Benedict’s arms, as she is forced to question if his attentions are meant to blind her to the truth, or if someone else wants her dead before she becomes the next…Mistress of Trevelyan.