Stella is a milliner, which means she designs and makes hats and fascinators for socialite Rosalind Fairfield.

Stella meets Christian when she sneaks into a hotel room to get her hat noticed by Rosalind. Christian covers for her when Rosalind and others enter the room, and later reveals the truth about Stella's hat.

The Louisville Derby is a central event in the story. Christian is training a horse to compete in the Derby, and Rosalind is involved with the event as well.

After meeting Rosalind, Stella is given the opportunity to work with designer Odette on creating more designs and to compete in the Bradford Competition.

The Bradford Competition is significant because Rosalind has not won it for a couple of years, which is not a good look for someone whose family is closely associated with the Derby.