Griffith, Duke of Riverton, likes order, logic, and control, so he naturally applies this rational approach to his search for a bride. While he is certain Miss Frederica St. Claire is the perfect wife for him, she is strangely elusive, and he cannot seem to stop running into her stunningly beautiful cousin, Miss Isbella Breckenridge. Isbella should be enjoying her society debut, but with her family in difficult circumstances, she has no choice but to agree to a bargain that puts her at odds with all her romantic hopes, as well as her conscience. And the more she comes to know Griffith, the more she regrets the unpleasant obligation that prevents her from any dream of a future with him.