Constantine Valentine, the exiled son of an English baron, is in America for one reason--to make a fortune so he can return home and repair his tarnished reputation. Wedding a destitute Irish laundress isn't his first choice, but a strange twist of fate makes a hasty marriage the key to riches. Rose Muldoon grew up in a New York slum. She has suffered hardship, hunger, and heartbreaking loss, yet she still trusts in love, which is something her privileged husband has never experienced and can't accept. Rose longs for home and family. Val has no intention of staying in a marriage of convenience, not even for the beautiful woman who fires his blood and makes him yearn for things he doesn't think he deserves. But when tragedy strikes, threatening everything Val holds dear, he must make a choice. Will Val return to his past or reach for an improbable future with Rose?