Emma Winston is the only daughter of the Winston family, with doting parents and a fiancé, Joshua. Then, at her birthday party, Sheila arrives with proof that she is the family's real daughter. Sheila doesn't want the fortune. Instead she adds up Emma's twenty years of private school, riding, piano and designer labels into five million, with interest charged by the day: until it's paid off, Emma belongs to her. With parents who feel guilty and trust Sheila, Emma can't say a word about what's happening, and behind Joshua's attentiveness hides a gambling debt he can't repay.