In 1850 in the bayou country of Louisiana, Bridlewood House is a place of wealth and privilege. But there is also a darkness, a curse that holds the inhabitants captive without their knowledge. Charlotte is the beautiful young heiress who must assume her mother's place in society. Emily is her best friend and her maid who must face that those roles are changing. Anatole is the handsome young footman who desperately wishes to escape to start his own life away from the constraints of Bridlewood. All their lives are about to be forever changed by a dark and handsome stranger. And one fateful Christmas gala sets a chain of events in motion that echoes through the century.