When Samuel Ottarson rescued Nellie from certain harm, he was dazzled by her beauty and soft touch. 

Remembering the harsh consequences of becoming involved with a member of the fairer sex, and the deceit and anguish a woman could cause, he quickly retreats from her. He needed to make it clear that he was out west for business and not to chase some bit of skirt who would ultimately break his heart.

Nellie Randolph is running for her life. Finally settling in Hughenden, she hopes for a new start. When she fails to find work as a governess, and with little more than the clothes on her back, she is forced into a life of pickpocketing.

As Nellie and Samuel continue to cross paths, their affection for each other grows until he catches her trying to steal from him. Events that evening become even more dangerous when Nellie finds herself on the run from a murderer. Samuel swears to protect her at all cost, taking her east to his cattle station – and unknowingly to the past she had sworn never to return to.

Nellie’s hope for a new start with Samuel comes crashing down when her late husband’s brother finds her, vowing to return her to the life of torment she had escaped. Fearful what lengths her brother-in-law will go to in order to stop her from revealing what she knew of his criminal past, she begins to doubt everyone around her – including Samuel and the love he claims to have for her.

When Nellie is charged with murder, Samuel does everything in his power to save her from the gallows. Will he lose everything to save the woman he loves, or will he find all his efforts to win her freedom, and her heart, are in vain?

Warning: contains sex, strong language, and some violence.