It's 1868, and Katie O'Neil and Moira Murphy immigrate to Boston from Ireland to work as domestics (Kitchen Canaries) for the Brennan family. They become entangled in the secrets and lies of the family and suffer violation and humiliation at the hands of their employer. They hide their guilt and shame even from one another, until they have no choice but to help save each other. In four short years they experience the cruelties of their employer, rejection, fear, love, and redemption.