The two cousins could not be more opposite. Louisa Elliot nurtures a defiant spirit, while Lady Meg never dares to rebel or speak out. The only thing they have in common is that they were both orphaned as children and raised by their overbearing grandmother, Louisa Elliott, who has definite plans for their respective futures. The cousins are distraught when the countess decrees they shall be wed--Louisa to a timorous squire and Meg to the haughty Duke of Hargrove. Putting their differences aside, they form a bond to help each other out of their current predicaments.

From the moment the Duke, Meg's intended, frees Louisa from a hollow log, his heart is ensnared and his carefully honed life set awry. Rumors of financial ruin, put about to aid the Duke's capture of an enemy agent, adds credence to the misinformation Louisa gathers to discredit him and save her cousin. As she builds her case, she realizes she is falling in love with him.

Unhappy with his arrangement, Hargrove is forced to court Meg in order to see her spirited cousin.

As Louisa's wedding date approaches, Hargrove decides to throw caution to the wind. Despite a tryst set with a French spy at his summer home, he invites the countess' party to join them. Amidst madcap chases, nefarious dealings, and kidnappings, and despite mounting evidence that Hargrove is a traitor, Louisa risks her life to prove his innocence and marry the man she really loves. (less)