Desperate to escape her dire situation, Nell Graves signs four years of her life away for¿an¿indenture in¿the¿colony of Maryland. Once she has served her time, she will have¿ächance at something few poor girls get: äcompletely fresh start. Unfortunately, the¿troubles in England haven't left Maryland unscarred. In¿äprovince where men outnumber women six to one, Nell doesn't think keeping her head down is an option. Matters only grow worse when she finds herself drawn to the¿worst man in¿the¿province for her to get involved with-extremely wealthy, very Catholic James Atwood. Caught in¿the¿middle of a possible freemen revolt and battling her own traitorous emotions, Nell worries her last refuge might be more¿dangerous¿than¿the¿civil war she left behind.