Lacey Reagan's father, Amos, is a violent alcoholic who takes out his frustrations on his daughter. Lacey knows it's only a matter of time until he kills her, so when an opportunity arises to run away, she takes it. After answering a mail-order-bride advertisement out of desperation, a gallant stranger offers her his assistance in escaping her life of fear and misery. Joe Dwyer, family friend to Luke Samuels and company, receives Lacey's frantic plea for help, and can't ignore it. The playboy with a heart of gold provides Lacey with the means to make the trip from North Dakota to Montana, but doesn't have entirely altruistic motives. In order to gain his inheritance and get rid of his own hated father, Joe needs a wife. When they meet, neither of them intends for their relationship to be anything other than a business arrangement, but as they get to know each other that begins to change. Tragedy strikes, threatening to break their hearts and destroy the bliss they've found with each other. With their future together on the line, Lacey and Joe must decide if they have what it takes to make their marriage one that's real or keep it just business between them.