In a castle above the rough Spanish coastline, the Duque de Torme hides from his past. There, he is free to brood in seclusion, pacing the terrazas, and frightening away any villagers brave enough to approach his gates. But when a ship wrecks in a violent Mediterranean storm, Felipe ventures down the cliffs to aid any survivors. There is only one—an Englishwoman named Julia Denman.

Julia begins to recover from her injuries, but as her health grows stronger, so does her desire for the handsome, tortured Duque de Torme.