Utter ruin confronts the Earl of Tarrisbroke. Faced with discharging his father's mountainous gambling debts, he reluctantly agrees to trade his aristocratic title for a plebeian fortune. Marianne Johnson, the wealthy young widow of an elderly merchant, is furious to find herself chosen as a fortune hunter's bride. But before the Earl can discover his widow's true worth, or Marianne realises that fortune hunters can be devastatingly attractive, they have to unite to protect the priceless Crown of St. Helen Theodora at Tarrisbroke Hall...