Liberty Jones comes from a family of historians. Raised by her eccentric aunt she had an unconventional childhood filled with historically accurate dress-up and lessons ranging from how to decipher hieroglyphics to how to load and fire a flintlock pistol.

Having recently earning her master’s degree, Libby receives the gift of her aunt’s heirloom scarab brooch and a ticket for the Coast-to-Coast Cosplay Connection, a cross country train trip for clothing historians and cosplay enthusiast’s. Libby packs her bustles and corsets and eagerly hops aboard looking forward to spending five days in the 19th century.

On the train she meets the handsome and charming Edward. Flattered by his attention Libby strikes up a traveler’s friendship.

Once in New York Edward disembarks without so much as a goodbye, but more urgently her brooch is gone! Catching up to Edward on the train platform she finds him red handed with her brooch! In the ensuing scuffle to get it back the brooch begins to glow, and the scarab seems to come to life! The world around them warps and shifts and she and Edward are transported backward in time to the year 1887.

Though she might be a fish out of water Libby is prepared, in fact she’s been preparing her whole life for this precise situation. She finally understands the secret of the Jones family line. She was not born into a family of historians but rather a family of time travelers!

Now Libby must navigate the rules and rituals of New York’s Gilded Age to find Edward if she ever hopes to get back home.