In the cold Toronto winter of 1895, the unclad body of a servant girl is found frozen in a deserted laneway. Young Therese Laporte was last seen climbing into a hansom cab the night she disappeared. Alice Black, a prostitute, is the sole witness. Detective William Murdoch quickly finds out that more than one person connected with the girl's simple life has something to hide. Donalda Rhodes, the dead girl's wealthy mistress, felt a deep affection for Therese, who evoked an intense and troubling memory from her past. And the Rhodes' darkly handsome young son Owen lies to cover up his absence on the night of the murder. Most startling, however, is Murdoch's discovery that the innocent maid was with child. Was Therese's death an attempt to cover up a possible scandal in one of the city's most influential families?