Fall River, Massachusetts, 16-year-old Victoria feels trapped by her high-society, pre-debutante life. Not only is she forced to have a chaperone for anything outside of the house, but she is also stuck playing nursemaid to her mother suffering from an unexplained paralysis. Victoria's only escapes are visits with her neighbor Miss Lizzie Borden, reading Sherlock Holmes serials and-when the urge overtakes her-stealing.

When her next-door neighbors Mr. and Mrs. Borden are murdered and Lizzie is accused of committing the acts, Victoria begins crossing paths with apprentice detective Declan Dempsey as they both search for the truth. Victoria doesn't want to believe that Lizzie committed those murders. Because if her friend has a dark side, what does that mean for Victoria with her own sordid secret?

When Victoria discovers Lizzie also shares her penchant for stealing, Victoria swears off her secret habit for good. In her quest to not become Lizzie Borden, Victoria loses old friends, makes questionable new ones, and finds her fiercest enemy resides within her own skin.