John Bates, former neurosurgeon and current hospice nurse, takes a job to work in the house of Mary Crawley Talbot. His job is to care for two ailing, elderly women and Ms. Crawley-Talbot's best friend, Anna Smith. As part of John's duties, he reads to Anna from a book about a designer and the bodyguard hired to keep her safe.

In two timelines Anna Smith is trapped. In one, it is a marriage of a convenience to save her stepfather's fortune. In another, it is literal. In both, Anna's freedom depends entirely on John Bates. Will he help her escape or is he an enemy in disguise?

Anna works as a professional DJ and sound mix artist. John is an acquisitions expert and appraiser for insurance. In their past life Anna was a nurse at a field hospital and John worked as a foreman of the plantation in India.