2009: Julia Conley inherits a house from an unknown great-aunt and goes back to England for the first time since the car crash that killed her mother when she was six. While sorting through the house, she discovers a painting hidden in an old wardrobe and a window onto the house's history begins to open. 1849: When Imogen Grantham's much older husband hires a young artist to paint her portrait, none can guess what the hands of fate have set in motion.