An unpaid, last-minute "extra maid" in Queen Victoria's service has her life turned upside-down when she falls for the wrong man. When she realizes her error, the British Home Secretary enlists Bessie to become the government's first female detective. Operating without the knowledge of the Royal Police, Bessie serves the Queen in strategic and dangerous investigations, putting her in peril along the way. Sharp as a tack, Bessie performs far beyond the expectations of the chauvinistic law enforcement establishment of the time. She blazes trails for women in British society and finds love in the most unexpected way.