Miss Cassia Lacey, resigned to being supplanted by a new stepmother, is brought to London to find a husband. When Adam, the wealthy Duke of Huntsdale, begins to pursue her, the unwilling debutante is mortified. His licentious habits shock her.

The wealthy duke, unaccustomed to being thwarted, seizes an opportunity to compromise her, and makes the reluctant beauty his wife. As she begins to fall for her delicious husband, he starts to suffer pangs of conscience. Since she doesn’t know he tricked her, he must live with his deceit, for if she discovers he lied to her, she will leave.

But a secret shared with others cannot remain a secret forever. Cassia must make a decision – stay with a man who took advantage of her rigid moral code, or break a few rules herself.