Anna, a widow battling alcohol addiction is convinced she is worthless unless she bears a child. She hires a lover to prove she is not frigid and may marry again and have children. Devlyn, sterile from an accident, has returned from an assignment for the Foreign Office and inadvertently becomes Anna’s lover. Anna and Devlyn join forces to protect an innocent child from a blackmailer. Can they come to terms not only with their feelings for each other but whether they will allow society to dictate the true significance of life?

A lonely, injured viscount, hiding from the world with the aid of laudanum. A young woman reeling from the knowledge that the life she has been living is a lie. Two damaged souls find friendship together and perhaps something more. A horrible accident leaves Lord Cameron sequestered at Wiltham Hall, abandoned by his wife. He turns to laudanum to ease his pain and despair. Upon losing both her parents, Miss Emma Hart discovers the woman she called mother was hiding a dark secret. Traveling as the widow Mrs. Hastings, she journeys to Wiltham Hall to find the truth of her parentage. When a tragic event forces the pair to confront their feelings for one another, can Emma convince Cameron they have a future together, or will his stubborn pride stand in the way?