1779. Orphan, Cecilia Harcourt leaves England and lands in New York where she hopes to find her brother, wounded in the war. At the hospital, no one knows where Thomas is. On the other hand, his best friend Edward Rokesby is there. Wounded in the head, he has amnesia. Destitute, not knowing where to go, Cecilia pretends that Edward married her some time ago and cares for him with devotion. As the days go by, their complicity grows and Cecilia sinks into lies. Until the day when the young man, cured, decides that it is time to make love to his delicious wife...