Ever since age fifteen, Olivia has been admiring the tigerish Earl Sutherland, sneaking peaks at him through the shelves of the bakery she works at.
On Christmas Eve, as Sutherland gazes through his carriage window, a disturbing scene captures his attention. He rushes out into the blizzard, battles the villain and rescues the girl. As he offers his kindness and protection to her, he finds himself more and more drawn to this stunning creature, so foreign to his aristocratic world. He struggles against his longings, haunted by her beauty, knowing he must not abuse her innocence, and fearing the scandalous consequences of an affair with a lowly peasant. Yet the fires of longing are much too rampant to quench…until Olivia suddenly disappears from his life…and secrets unfold…which fan the flames of his passion into an infernal pyre of loathing and revenge.