Florence Prescott and her family live in fear of her father's vicious outbursts. Lord Prescott rules his household with a cruel and violent hand, and when one of his drunken rages leads to the abuse of Florence's beloved younger brother, Florence boldly confronts her father—and pays the price for her insolence. Broken and hopeless, Florence feels like a prisoner in her own life.

As a former stablehand for the Prescotts, Evan Avery is all too familiar with the vicious nature of his old master... and the gentle kindness of Florence and her younger brother. Desperate to save his friends, Evan boldly returns to the estate to help them escape. Though Lady Prescott refuses rescue, Evan successfully spirits Florence and her brother away to his family's farm. There, they quite naturally adjust to the rigors and rhythms of farm life as the bond of friendship between Florence and Evan flourishes and soon deepens into romance. But the couple's happiness is overshadowed when they receive a shocking correspondence that changes everything.