After giving birth to a son, Catherine LeVendeur is looking forward to an idyllic life with her husband, Edgar, in Paris. Yet her contentment is shattered when she and Edgar receive tragic news from Scotland: Edgar's two oldest brothers have been ambushed and murdered, and Edgar must return home to help avenge their deaths.

Once in Scotland, Catherine is surprised to learn that Edgar's family is not what she imagined. His father, Waldeve, is a cold tyrant, and his remaining siblings are strange and secretive.

Separated from Edgar in their efforts to uncover the truth, Catherine becomes a stranger in a strange land, searching for refuge in a war-torn country at the same time she searches for her husband. Yet she knows that any haven she finds will only be temporary until she answers this question: Who among Waldeve's enemies hates him passionately enough to destroy his whole family--including, she fears, his new infant grandson?