Speaking out is forbidden. And so is falling for your employer.

Arthur Ashcroft is the most scholarly of his siblings and wants to do something other than waste his time on booze and women. Thus, he leaves his home to find work in a place he can make a difference, and soon, he is offered a position by a wealthy factory owner that seems ideal.

The manufacturer wants Arthur to run the place and find a way to help him earn more money, but Arthur manages to make him promise to improve the lives of the workers at the same time. The deal feels like a dream until Prudence, a poor girl Arthur finds in the streets, shares an entirely different story with him.

Prudence declares that the manufacturer pays workers very little money and the working conditions are terrible; people have died in that factory! She tells Arthur that all he will do there is help a man exploit his workers more efficiently...

As the new head of the factory, Arthur hires Prudence to keep her close to him and slowly begins developing a desire for her. But the manufacturer will not let a beggarly girl spoil his plans, and he throws his daughter in Arthur’s arms! Should Prudence fight the girl and her father in hope that Arthur can be persuaded, or is trusting her employer a reckless move?