Free spirited and independent debutante Fiona runs away from home to avoid an inconvenient marriage and on the way has an accident and is forced to take shelter at the home of the infamous Phillip Merton. Shunned by the ton for his dark past, Phillip is a reluctant host to the impetuous young lady who turns his orderly world upside down. Fiona is forced to accept the hospitality of the man she abhors, and Philip makes no pretense of his desire for her to be gone. Fiona's intrusion into his life throw's Phillip's life into chaos. However, it is soon evident that while his lips say thing his eyes say something else. Sparks fly despite their resolve, but the norms of regency society and Phillip's reputation forces them apart. Both of them are proud and unrelenting, and they refuse to acknowledge their feelings for each other, but instead succeed in hurting and alienating each other playing into the hands of sinister forces. Will Fiona and Phillip defeat the odds and find each other?