An ambitious smalltown girl, unlucky in love, is called back home from New York City upon inheriting her eccentric aunt's estate, but the will is fraught with off-the-wall clauses involving work, family, and having to find a husband by next year.

After a letter from her great-grandmother hints that she’s heir to a family treasure, Simone Winthrop travels to Paris and meets a charming apprentice clockmaker who helps her investigate.