Unjustly sacked as a lady s maid to an English family in Belgium, Liza returns to Britain penniless, without a job or any hope of a reference. Aboard the S.S Florence Grey she meets spoilt, rich Cecily Spencer who, keen to seek adventure in London, persuades Liza to switch identities for a month.

In order to support her family, Liza agrees and, trading her rags for riches, moves in with Cecily s guardian William. And encounters life in the mansion from the other side of the servant s quarters.

As a member of the Spencer family, Liza is exposed to old rivalries and feuds which go back for generations. And when she falls in love, she is torn apart by conflicting loyalties.

Will she lose everything if the man she loves finds out who she really is?

Set in Sunderland at the turn of the century, Liza is a riveting tale of family secrets, a wonderful portrait of the different hardships facing those living upstairs or downstairs, and a powerful romance.