Mr. Hardy has been subjugated to his decadent father's desires all his life, shadows taunting his every breath. Shattered time after time, with his cousin and best friend as sole companion, he survives. They enjoy great incomes, raised to excel in society.

Summer welcomes them for a rest and they decide to spend the season in Bath. Though their original purpose is altered as the Barnes family enters the picture. From their first meeting, Jane Barnes, eldest and only daughter, considers Mr. Hardy the most stoic and discourteous man. Nevertheless, destiny entangles their threads in an uneven path.

A classic regency romance novella where two people learn to grow together and become a greater version of themselves.