Emma Hawthorn, the eligible bachelorette of the Hawthorne family is known to be shy and timid, and is of marriageable age. While her polite and subservient nature makes her the most agreeable of the girls, her father's debt does not. As she suffers through balls and gossips to find a prospective groom, she catches the eye of Marquess William Aldridge in the most unexpected way. He claims she is the rebellious woman he has been looking for. But she is sure she's never been rebeliious in her entire life. Yet his claims make her question her own reasoning. The question that haunts both of them - is it a case of mistaken identity or is there more to it than meets the eye? Thus begins a unique courtship as he searches for that rebellious streak within her and she tries to figure herself out.