At Christmas in 1905, Molly and her ward Bridie meet two well-spoken English children singing and begging on a New York street. The children say that their mother has disappeared and that the aunt caring for them takes their money and treats them harshly.
Molly begins searching for the missing woman and discovers that the children once belonged to a much wealthier household. Her investigation reaches into New York society, where inheritance and reputation provide motives for keeping both the mother and her children out of sight.