Desperate to reach the United States, Elise Meyer accepts a marriage offer from a New York German-speaking widower in exchange for her first working three years as a nanny for his two children while he finishes his university education. Once she arrives in New York, she discovers the situation is not what she agreed to. She soon realizes the children’s grandfather, a displaced Prussian landowner, does not have honorable intentions. One night, after he attacks her, she grabs a knife and fights back. Worried she might have killed him, she flees. Kurt Neumann recently finished his eleven-year enlistment and is relieved to see the last of the U.S. Army. While he was in, although he fought when needed, he spent most of his time cooking for the troops. Having saved most of his earnings, he is now in limbo while he decides what to do with his future. He meets a pretty German woman who speaks limited English. The German he learned from his grandmother is limited, but enough he can communicate. Once they realize a detective is after Elise, intent on taking her back to answer for her crime, Kurt must make a decision. Will he avoid complications by walking away, or will he help her escape?