Young teacher, Brigit Huxley, is a strong an independent young woman. She knows that the man she will marry will be one whom she loves, and who loves her. But when a besotted admirer kidnaps her and arranges for it to look as if her virtue has been compromised, her mother insists on marriage to the monster. Brigit has other ideas. With a plan to get to California, she runs away to the coast and takes a job as a hotel maid, to save for her boat fare. She overhears one of the wealthy guests, a man with two sweet young daughters, discussing the disappearance of his mail-order bride. Brigit hatches a desperate and elaborate plan to take advantage of the missing bride and accompany the young family back to San Francisco. Soon her deceptions begin to unravel, and the past begins to bite her heels. How will Brigit get out of the situation without hurting the innocent family she has fallen in love with?