Henry Merrick thinks he understands political games and court intrigues, but when the young captain is arrested in Jamaica and brought back to England to face his king for violating a treaty he didn't yet know existed, he finds out just how wrong he is.

Sentenced to a form of house arrest with a distant family member, nothing is as it seems. Lady Catherine is meant to be his warder and companion in this confinement, but Henry senses there is something more beneath the surface of forced smiles, rules, and propriety theatre Catherine is forced to endure.

When Catherine finally lets her guard down and shows Henry who she truly is, he realizes he is a pawn in a larger game meant to subdue the young woman and wants no part of it. Henry is determined to find a way to change her fate. . .but can he?