An Irish woman seeks love outside her lonely marriage to an older man. As her pregnancy becomes obvious, she is rejected and shamed by her irate husband. A self-inflicted tragedy leaves her only child, Gertrude, in the hands of her husband and foster family who share in her care.

Despite the hardship, young Trudy develops a personal strength that allows her to defy the oppressive attitudes toward women of the era. Following her independent spirit, she ventured alone to South Africa, shocking her friends and family. There she defied the odds and became a well-known hotelier experiencing many surprising adventures.

Trudy Fitzgerald, a child growing up in post-famine Ireland, has always wanted more - more freedom, more success and more independence. Most of all, she wants to know more about the mysterious circumstances that surround the death of her mother. Miss Fitzgerald is the powerful story of a young woman who dares to be herself as secrets threaten to tear her family apart.

But does Trudy really want all of the answers?