As a traveling companion to a wealthy woman, Gail Desmond finds herself on a steamer that has had a collision during a storm and is going down fast. A man comes to her rescue but is injured in the process. Adrift on the sea with the unconscious man, she prays for a way to reach the distant shore. But, if she is to survive this, what kind of future awaits a penniless woman with no family?

"Don't forget to write at once."   Young and alone, Rose Galbraith is about to embark on a long voyage from New York to Scotland when she encounters Gordon McCarroll, a former classmate. His generous bon voyage gift gives her connection to her homeland and the courage to go into the unknown.   Once on land again, Rose is whisked away to the formidable Warloch Castle. Unimpressed by the wealth of her mother's family, the girl of meager means can't