Claudia is a survivor, in a world as cold as ice. It's 1954. During Christmas break from Colorado College, Claudia Goodwin's father delivers the news: she's to marry David VanBuren so he can merge the two families' frozen food companies. Claudia's outright balking doesn't work, ignoring the edict doesn't work. When she finds herself pregnant by the one she truly loves, David's black-sheep brother Max, a philandering wild boy, marrying David seems the only solution. She does her best to make things work but David seems determined to undermine their life together. Claudia manages to handle his demands and misogynistic attitudes...until he announces he and Max are buying a diamond mine-which means she and Max will be thrust together day after day. Will she be able to deny her love for him? What if he sees the birthmark on his son's arm and realizes the truth?