Annabelle Thorley's father died financially ruined; her fiancé called off their betrothal, and she remains at the mercy of her controlling and often cruel brother. She runs away to Fellsworth, where her estranged uncle serves as the school's superintendent, and works for her wages for the first time in her life. Gamekeeper Owen Locke, a widower, is fiercely protective of his only daughter. After an encounter with Annabelle, his steady life is shaken. When poachers, mysterious strangers, and murderers converge at Fellsworth, can Annabelle and Owen stop the shadow of the past from ruining their hopes for the future?