In 1911, eighteen-year-old Mary Cooke comes to stately Whitwell Hall to serve as maid for the strong-willed young Amanda Whitwell. To Mary's astonishment, her aristocratic new employer is her near-double. A dutiful servant girl, "Miranda"-- as her arrogant mistress renames her-- must stand by as Amanda ensnares both men whom Miranda herself loves. But when maid and mistress journey together on the Titanic, Miranda sees the chance to seize her destiny forever.