Annabella Beaufort, cousin to the Queen Consort of Scotland, visits court in Edinburgh upon the queen's urging. She has little interest in this wild and rugged land and is pleasantly surprised to find Linlithgow Palace and King James' court quite refined. An attack on Edinburgh Castle by a savage Highlander results in her capture. This flaxen haired giant is like nothing she's encountered before, but her fear of him quickly turns to lust and she prays he will not also claim her heart.
Son of the great Alexander MacDonald, beloved Lord of the Isles, Angus MacDonald refuses to bend to King James' tyrannical rule. After his father is imprisoned, he becomes acting chief. Unlike his father and his schemes, Angus will attack and bring this king to his knees. His attempt to release his father is thwarted and instead he abducts the Queen's cousin. His desire for her is intense and immediate, despite her flawed Sassenach ways. But he must keep her at arm's length regardless of the raging passion she evokes in him. She is his pawn-his prisoner-and he must always remember that.
Though they fight on opposite sides of the battle for power over Scotland, Angus and Annabella discover a fire that will not be ignored or denied. Will their loyalties to their families tear them apart? If he sets her free, will she return to him? Or will she in turn imprison his heart for all eternity?