College teacher Ellie Standish thinks shes on a sleek modern train heading to a conference on womens studies in Seattle, but she awakens from a nights doze to find herself on a bizarre historical train full of late Victorian era reenactors who refuse to come out of character. When the leader of the groupone handsome, green-eyed Robert Chamberlainfinally convinces her the date is indeed 1901, a skeptical Ellie decries 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 one 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 hes only a figment of her imagination or worse yet...a man who belongs to an era long past?