If Andrew Morrow knows anything, it's his own mind. He has no intention of following through on an arranged marriage to merchant's daughter Jacinda Blanchett--especially when he loves another. He'll set out for India to make his fortune. But eight years later, returning to England the captain of a ship, victorious, wealthy, and expecting to wed the woman he left behind, he finds his father living in poverty, his "beloved" married, and his unwanted fiancée missing under mysterious circumstances. His rash decision was the first link in a chain of misfortune, but he's determined to break it--and when he tracks down Jacinda, he knows it won't be easy. For she is as stubborn as he, and too alluring to resist. Suddenly, marrying this bold young woman is the only fate he will consider--as long as he can convince her that the passion flaring between them is proof of love. . .