Maximilian Hainsworth, Viscount Berwick, is on a mission: to write a scathing expose of England's most famous country estate, Northfield Hall. While much of England praises Northfield Hall for its egalitarian economy and boycott of foreign imports, Max that the Preston family must have an alternative hidden income to explain Northfield's prosperity. Max is determined to uncover their secrets and humiliate the Prestons with an inflammatory report. Disguised as a carpenter, he gets himself hired so he can learn Northfield Hall's secret ins and outs. A few things quickly go wrong with his plan: Ellen can see plain as day that the new carpenter's assistant lied about his experience with woodwork. She is willing to overlook this, especially since he is handsome and easy to talk to. However, when she overhears him asking strange questions, she does some investigating - and discovers he is one of her father's biggest political enemies. Taking the matter into her own hands, Ellen vows to delay Max's report any way she can. Even if that means kissing him again. Working against each other, Max and Ellen begin asking difficult questions about Northfield Hall. What they discover forces each of them to rethink their own assumptions and answer for themselves: are their principles more important than love?