The American Civil War has ended and everyone in American is free--except women. They no right to vote, no right to own property, no right to control their own lives. The rare exception is widows.
Jocelyn Hightower's abusive husband is dead, but she knows freedom is too much to hope for. Her late husband's sadistic uncle is set to grab control of everything his nephew possessed, including Jocelyn.
When charming, enigmatic lawyer Graham Claxton arrives, he offers Jocelyn a means of escape and the hope of freedom. There's just one catch. Graham claimes he wants nothing in return, and even naive Jocelyn knows better than to believe him.