Emma Northcote's family lost everything in an instant. And the beautiful young aristocrat was forced to become a waitress in a cheap tavern in a poor and dangerous area of London. One day, a blue-eyed docker named Ned saved Emma from the attacks of a drunken sailor. Love broke out between the young people. But hot kisses and hugs did not stop Emma and Ned from hiding their secrets from each other. Ned left, asking Emma to wait for him. She promised, but did not keep her word: the rich lady wanted to see her as her companion. So the girl returned to secular society. Imagine her surprise when, in the theater box, she saw her Ned in the expensive clothes of an aristocrat in the company of a young heiress of a large fortune...