Isabel de Vere is all grown up and ready to marry. Once an outgoing and vibrant young girl, Isabel cannot get over the kidnapping of her sister eight years ago. Prone to episodes of panic, Isabel wishes for just one thing in a husband—a man strong enough to protect her.

Turstin has spent his life in Normandy in service to King Henry II. Now home in England, he is ready to take a wife. Though he finds Isabel to be suitable, love is the last thing on his mind. When he marries her he will get the one thing he cares about—Renoir Castle.

Turstin displays a disdain for Isabel's family that she does not understand, nor does he explain. Initially seeking a strong husband to protect her, Isabel now wants him to love her, just as she loves him. Will his lifelong resentment of her family and his desire to claim Renoir Castle lead them astray or will they right the wrongs from the past?