Anne de Bourgh has never had a coming-out. She has never had a season. In fact, she has never had a suitor. But, according to her mother, she has always had a future husband. Although Anne desires to marry, she does not wish to marry her mother's choice, and he does not wish to marry her. With no other choices and the prime of her youth slipping away, Anne's view of her future is bleak. But when she finds some papers hidden in her father's study, that view, in the light of his wishes, changes. Her declaration to follow her heart and choose her own future causes discord and forces secrets to be revealed. Sometimes the path to happily ever after can be strewn with danger and intrigue.