Prudence Hightower is the daughter of London's music master. Betrothed to a man she does not love, grieving over her mother's suicide and worried for her father's mysteriously declining health, she turns to her father's gifted pupil, enigmatic Nicolae Tedescu, finding comfort in his music and passion in his arms. But is he a man or a monster? Longing for the love denied him because he is a vampire, Nicolae is intrigued by the prim young mortal. Beneath his bloodlust is a hunger for love that defies the centuries. But when he offers her the dark gift, she refuses. Can he live for all eternity without her? Can Pru survive a dangerous plot to use her as bait to destroy Nicolae? When all else is lost, taking a chance on love becomes the most dangerous choice of all.