"Are you his forever? The river will tell."

These chilling words will change Isabelle Fontaine's destiny. A celebrated Canadian pianist in 1836, Isabelle inherits the historic Fontaine, the last French ribbon estate of the 1700s. Crossing the Detroit River to claim the house, she finds herself in a fight for her sanity. Isabelle learns that she bears an uncanny resemblance to Celeste, her great-grandmother. Ensnared by visions of a doomed love affair between Celeste and a man named Jacques, Isabelle relives the tragedy: Celeste was a captive of the sadistic Louis Fontaine, and some souls were damned as a result.

Bewildered, Isabelle outruns not only her past, but her future as well. On the eve of Detroit's transformation into a world-class city, newcomer Isabelle learns she is a pawn in one of the greatest riverfront scandals in American history. Cornered at every turn, Isabelle is aided by two great men, the ambitious entrepreneur Douglas, and the bitter physician, Michael.

Isabelle's heart must choose between them, but the ethereal Jacques, whose dark love calls from the river's bottom, has already claimed her soul. As Isabelle struggles to survive, a century-old tragedy threatens to repeat itself. Jacques is coming for her. And he plans to take her home.