Thanks to his profligate father, Phineas Radford is in dire straits. His estate verges on bankruptcy, and he doesn't have the funds to maintain his family's botanical gardens—an intrinsic part of Marrywell's annual May Day Matchmaking Festival. He prays no one learns of his secret desperation or there will be a panic about the future of the festival, which everyone relies on to fill their own coffers. The only way to save his estate and the town is to find an heiress to wed before time runs out.

After seven years away, Leah Webster returns home as the companion to a wealthy young Society lady who is in search of a husband. Her employer quickly captures the attention of Leah's oldest friend...and longtime secret tendre. Leah is determined to prevent the terrible mismatch between the provincial Phin and the High Society jewel until she discovers Phin's noble reasons for the courtship. Though her own heart will surely break, Leah hatches an imprudent plan to save her town and the man she still loves.