Prudence Merriot and her brother, Robin, are back in England again because their father (affectionately dubbed by his children as "the old gentleman") has a plan to restore their fortunes. Used to a life on the run (the Merriots, or rather Robin, were involved in the most recent Jacobin uprising) and of adventure, both Prudence and Robin are beginning to find such a life chafing, esp now that they've met the elegant Sir Anthony Fanshawe and the enchanting Miss Letty Grayson. Both Sir Anthony and Letty are members of the ton, and would look for utter respectability from their potential spouses. Would either ever contemplate tying themselves to Prudence or Robin with their shady pasts and their rascally father? And on top of it all there is a further complication: Prudence is masquerading as a man, and Robin as a woman! How on earth can the Merriot siblings hope to woo and be wooed when they're both pretending to be something that they are not!