Victorian England. By a lucky coincidence, the orphan Hartley is accepted into a wealthy family, but this does not cease to haunt her: a dispute with her newly-made cousin turns into a humiliating incident that instilled hatred and disgust in the girl's heart. Seven years later, fate again confronts her with an already matured offender. Shaken faith in their own beliefs, the spirit of adventurism and blind feelings push both to rash actions, fraught with inevitable consequences.