About to turn eighteen, and in accordance with her father's deathbed decree, Laurel MacClay prepares to take her place as lairdess of her beloved Highland clan, but her guardians - her father's cousin and his vindictive, power-hungry wife - have other plans, ones that include a betrothal to their son and a devious plot that puts Laurel in danger. Refusing to accept that fate has condemned her to a life of misery, Laurel finds new hope when she reunites with Blair Cameron, a handsome young Highlander who when they were children promised to marry her as soon as they came of age. Can Blair help Laurel unravel a mystery from the past, secrets that could stop the wedding, or will she find herself wed to her arrogant, weak-willed cousin, a spineless man who refuses to defy his mother?