in 1900, a female was the property of either a father or husband, and for a girl of her station to become anything but a wealthy man’s wife was unthinkable. but miss abigail patience danforth was determined to usher in the twentieth century by becoming the world’s first female consulting detective, even after dr. arthur conan doyle himself tries to dissuade her and mark twain refuses to encourage her. frederick, the earl of hunterswell is eager to ask miss danforth’s father for her hand, but then the fabulous punjat’s ruby, intended as a gift for the prince of wales, disappears from hunterswell house and miss danforth is pitched headlong into her first case. with lord frederick in tow, miss danforth returns to her father’s gramercy park mansion in new york where she enlists the help of the famous actor, will gillette, who was starring in “sherlock holmes” on broadway, to help her pursue her elusive quarry – risking her life to retrieve the punjat’s ruby.