Grayson Adams is living a double life in Victorian England. By day, he paints erotic pictures, by evening he attends the balls where eager mamas throw their virginal daughters at him, though he is merely the youngest son of a baron. Lately, however, he's lost his muse, and wonders what it would be like to paint one of those virginal society misses.
Sarah Dusenberry is enduring her fifth season, and is tired of her mother pushing her toward a husband, when it's clear no man wants her. Why can't she just travel with a companion, lead the life of a well-off spinster? But her mother wants her to have the protection of a man and will not part with the funds Sarah needs for her dream of travel.
In search of her own funds, she answers an ad for an artist's model, never thinking of how she'll be modeling-or how much she'll enjoy it. Grayson becomes entranced with his new model and pursues her in society as he struggles to keep his distance in the studio. What will Sarah do when she learns the truth?