Lady Elena Lady Elena Ravenscliffe has been sold into Constantinople's infamous slave market to pay off her husband's debts. She is told that her husband is dead and given only one option: if she wants to see her infant son again, she must reconcile herself to life as a harem girl, where rich lords will bid on her favors. Her aristocratic English upbringing hasn't prepared her for the customs she'll have to adhere to in her new circumstances, but she'll do anything to protect the life of her baby.

Five years pass and Elena has taken on the persona of Jinan, a Turkish princess, in an attempt to make her decision easier to accept. She is the harem favorite. It's rumored that gentlemen find heaven in her arms. But none are allowed to see the real woman hiding beneath the veil. Hidden from society, Elena's secrets are threatened when a man she once loved recognizes her on the auction block.

The Marquess of Rothburn is not buying into the façade of Jinan - no matter how convincing. He has never forgotten Elena, the innocent girl he desperately wanted to marry ten years ago. Realizing it is the only way to possess her, he bids an outrageous sum to make her his mistress for six months. But once their deadline looms the Marquess has no intention of letting her go. Nothing will stop him from keeping the beautiful Jinan for himself, and he steals her away from the harem hoping she'll confess her feelings and desires for him, even if it means destroying both of them in the process.