Emily Gibson is a spirited young woman who wishes to make her own way in life. She has been looking after her family since her father died, but with mounting debts something must be done. Deciding that she must marry for money, she writes to ask her estranged grandfather, the Earl of Westerham, to put forward an appropriate suitor. But he selects her cousin -- and he's the last person Emily would have chosen. Can love blossom in such circumstances?