College teacher Ellie Standish thinks she's on a sleek modern train heading to a conference on women's studies in Seattle, but she awakens from a night's doze to find herself on a bizarre historical train full of late Victorian era re-enactors who refuse to come out of character. When the leader of the group-handsome, green-eyed Robert Chamberlain-finally convinces her the date is indeed 1901, a skeptical Ellie rejects any eccentric theories of time travel and presumes she is smack dab in the middle of a very interesting historical dream.

She turns the directorial reins of her dream over to smitten and willing Robert, only to realize that dreams cannot last forever. Someday, she must wake up to reality, though Ellie no longer has any idea what reality is. She only knows that Robert must play an important part in her future. But how can he... if he's only a figment of her imagination or worse yet... a man who belongs to an era long past?