Leaving the safety of Victorian England, Christabel accepts a post in far-off Austria. On arrival, she is immediately intrigued by the fairy-tale castle and its inhabitants including her charge, the spoiled and wilful Liesel Von Holstein, handsome widower Count Max Von Holstein, eccentric Aunt Gisela and a host of resentful servants. As Christabel establishes herself in her new role, she can't help being drawn to the unsolved mysteries of the past. What is the connection between her family heirloom, a rare serpent bracelet, and the Von Holsteins? From lakeside country to the bustle of 1870s Vienna, Christabel moves closer to her fate and to a secret, dangerous past...