The animosity and rivalry between Warwycks and Radcliffes was as legendary as their wealth was immense. But when Nicolette Radcliffe discovered Tom Warwyck hiding in the conservatory of her home, the event kindled a love that would rock the stately mansions and proud pavilions of Easthampton. -- Tom and Nicolette reached out toward each other across a chasm of family hatred--a chasm more perilous than any nature could provide. He, scorned by his mother, banished and disinherited by his father, is intent on making his own future against all odds. She, always under the watchful eye of Olivia Radcliffe, the vindictive matriarch of Radcliffe Hall, will love whom she chooses at any price.

Finally, a New Year's Eve ball brings Tom and Nicolette publicly together, where, dancing to the music of their hearts, they unleash the fury of three generations of rivalry and jealousy that will put the ancestral loyalties of Warwycks and Radcliffes alike to a test they have never known before.