When reserved scholarship student Ruby Bell witnesses an explosive secret, she finds herself in the crosshairs of privileged and arrogant millionaire heir James Beaufort. She is actually working towards her lifelong dream at the elite Maxton Hall School: studying at Oxford University. But her perfect plan is thrown into turmoil by James' appearance.

After the ruined welcome party, Ruby does everything she can to make sure things at the upcoming fundraiser run perfectly. That's why it doesn't suit her at all that James is now forced to be part of the committee and is celebrated there for his ideas. After an unexpectedly heated exchange between the two, it is suddenly Ruby herself who has to admit that she has gone too far.

Ruby and James get closer than ever at the Beaufort Store in London. But a surprise meeting with James' parents brings Ruby back down to earth: She doesn't belong in this world. When a poster of her and James makes her the No. 1 topic of conversation on the next school day, she makes an announcement to James: She wants to cut ties with him. For James, however, that is no longer an option.