This historical mystery novel re-imagines a little-known time in the life of famous Canadian painter Emily Carr.
When Emily leaves her restrictive home in Canada to study art in London, England, she longs to prove herself as an artist, trying to carve a path for herself towards financial security. But her dreams don't receive a warm welcome, as her disapproving English relatives believe that the only respectable path for a woman is marriage.
Before Emily can prove the worth of her artistic career, she falls ill and finds herself trapped in a sanatorium, forming an unlikely friendship with Beth, a Florence Nightingale nurse assigned to her care.
As a web of intrigue and poisonings tightens around them, Beth and Emily find themselves in a race against time find a poisoner and avert an attempted murder.