It is 1806, and just outside London, Charles Francis Greville, the son of the Earl of Warwick is about to have a vanilla orchid bloom in his greenhouse. It is a unique event; the first time outside of the jungles of Central America. It is the Age of Enlightenment and on the brink of economic botany when plants will be removed from their native habitats to be propagated elsewhere for great profit. Anne Blake has been sent from service to the family of the Duke by no fault of her own. She has come to stay with her father, the head gardener for Lord Greville, awaiting a letter of character and a new position as a nursery maid. When the two come together to record the event, they find they share much more than an interest in flowers.