Standard elements of the romance novel—including a decaying plantation house and a terrible secret—are enlivened by outbreaks of the paranormal in this tale of Barrett Browning, a young historian summoned to inventory a library of family papers. With mounting excitement, she discovers that the letters and journals before her are a treasure trove of potential articles that could further her career at the university where she teaches, but venture capitalist Davis Jamison, the owner of the plantation, is intent on keeping the documents private and distrusts her scholarly ambitions. The standoff between the two opponents begins to crumble, however, as Barrett becomes more and more unsettled by evidence of magic and murder in the family's past, and Davis, who has sworn never to trust a woman with his property or his heart, struggles with the realization that he is falling in love.