Young Jane, from the working class of Grimsby, answers an advertisement in The Lady magazine and, to the surprise of her friends and family, becomes the Duchess of York's dresser at Buckingham Palace. She moves in the highest circles of Britain and manages to secure a place in the upper class. However, after nine years, she loses her job with the Duchess. Still shaken by her downfall, Jane meets the charismatic businessman Thomas Cressman and falls in love. Cracks soon begin to appear in the romance Jane had pinned all her hopes on, with disastrous consequences.