When Abigail Mitchell is a little girl her father, John, inherits a large estate in Cornwall from his uncle. He chooses to move his family from their comfortable living in Whitby to the rugged Cornish coast, in the hope of securing a more prosperous future in the South. John soon incurs the opposition and wrath of their neighbours, the Gainsfords, a powerful old Cornish family. However, as Abigail blossoms into a young lady she finds herself mixing socially with the younger Gainsfords and attracted to the eldest son, Luke. She agrees to marry him in spite of his rakish reputation and her father's objections to the match. Abigail soon learns she should have heeded her father's warning when she uncovers Luke's secret life ...