剧集背景为美国经济发生巨大变化的一段时期。故事从1882年开始,讲述了年轻的孤儿Marian Brook (Louisa Jacobson饰),她是一名南方将军的女儿,住进了古板传统的姑妈Agnes van Rhijn (Christine Baranski饰)和Ada Brook (Cynthia Nixon饰)在纽约的家中。神秘却颇有才华的非裔美国女人Peggy Scott (Denée Benton饰),乔装成了Marian的女仆。在Peggy的陪伴下,Marian无意间卷入了一场社会地位战争:一边是自己姑妈所代表的名门望族,靠的是家业代代传;一边是自己腰缠万贯的大亨邻居。邻居家中,心狠手辣的铁路大亨George Russell (Morgan Spector饰)和他野心勃勃的妻子Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon饰),一心想要被Astor家族和Vanderbilt家族的交际圈接纳。
Ainsley (Kelsey Gunn) is a misanthrope who hates people but when she suddenly finds herself in isolation with no one to talk to, she realizes how much she actually misses connection. Enter Ulysses, a dead mouse in a jar. With a little bit of loneliness, a pinch of imagination, and a mouse- sized tuxedo, Ulysses becomes her training wheels in this newly discovered world of frien...