Incredibly beautiful Katherine Spencer has led a sheltered life with her father, a local doctor, so is swept off her feet by the dashing soldier, Giles Swynford, the younger brother of a marquess. When Giles returns from Waterloo though he is horribly wounded and she agrees to marry him not least to serve as a useful nurse. Giles desperately wants to return to his family’s estate in northern England despite his precarious health. After they arrive, Giles’ condition deteriorates, yet he is oddly insistent on seeing his brother’s reaction to Katherine. When Richard, a recent widower, returns home, he is stunned by his brother’s captivating bride. Katherine also feels drawn to him, and realizes that she has gotten married without knowing enough about her bridegroom or the secrets that seem to be driving him.