A tale of love and hardship set in wild and beautiful 19th century Cornwall.

Born into a once-respectable family, circumstances have reduced Roz Trevaskis to working at the local inn. In order to pay the fines incurred through her alcoholic mother's drunken behaviour, Roz has put herself in debt to some unpleasant people, and has reluctantly turned to smuggling. When her half-brother, Tom, is offered a job as an apprentice on the estate of the local JP, Branoc Casvellan, Roz realises this is an opportunity to dig her family out of trouble.

Then Casvellan's brother catches smallpox, and it falls to Roz to nurse him – bringing her into close contact with her handsome employer. But how will Casvellan – and his family – react when the truth about Roz's life comes out?