Mr. Stephen Wycomb is utterly miserable as the unrelenting grief of his past failures in the Royal Navy continue to haunt him. After a failed attempt at a courtship, the only thing keeping him in London is to ensure his sister is happily settled with her new husband- a man he has an uneasy alliance with. He has sworn off marriage, but his determination sways when he is introduced to a strikingly beautiful young woman.

That beautiful young woman, Gemma, the Countess of Hawkinge, has been invited to spend the Season with her family in London now that she is finally out of mourning for her late husband. She jumps at the opportunity, hoping this trip will give her the reprieve she so desperately needs.

As Stephen and Gemma develop an easy friendship, she begins to wonder if there might be more happiness to life than she had previously thought. Yet nothing is as it seems. When the couple find themselves caught in a web of greed and deceit, they must determine whether they are willing to risk everything for a chance at true love.