Lord Trenholme is not happy about being exiled to Williamsburg, VA in 1753, until a scandal in England blows over. Accustomed to privilege and luxury, he views the colony as one step from barbarism. When he crosses paths with Callie Hastings, a feisty colonial tobacco farmer, he is certain of it. She refuses to pay homage to his nobility, and outwitted by her one time too many, he is determined to teach her a lesson in humility. It backfires on him royally. When she is called before the court for a crime she didn't commit, she is outraged that the law is so biased against women. She views British law to be illogical and outdated and delivers a stinging indictment of the justice system, angering the justices. In a humorous confluence of events, she winds up in Trenholme's custody--to both their dismay--and, in the process, manages to cause an uproar among the men in the town when she decides to educate their women on the few legal rights that they have. Inundated with complaints, the governor and General Assembly launch a campaign to get her married. This proves to be easier said than done, and finding himself in the center of the maelstrom, Trenholme, is faced with a choice that will impact the rest of his and Callie's lives.