England 1810. William Devreux, the fourth Earl of Hartwell, despises his shallow and dissolute life. But a riding accident in a remote country town gives him the opportunity to escape his troubles for a month or two, and he concocts a phony identity in order to conceal his unsavory past. He discovers unexpected contentment in his new circumstances, finding himself especially drawn to Charissa Armitage, a young woman whose views of faith and love challenge his own. However, all is not as simple as it seems . . .