Shortly after agreeing to marry her neighbor to save her farm, Sophia Worthington's childhood sweetheart returns, jeopardizing her heart and her home.

To thwart her uncle's efforts to take over the farm left to her by her father, Sophia accepts a convenient marriage proposal. Her triumph is brief. Philip Eliot, the man she has loved her whole life, appears on her doorstep after a long, silent absence.

Philip Eliot promised his beloved Sophia that they would marry as soon as he turned twenty-one and gained his independence. But his meddlesome mother conspired to end the affair by sending him to France and intercepting their correspondence. Now he is back and doing everything he can to remind Sophia of the love they once shared.

Sophia convinces herself that she and Philip are merely friends but is unable to ignore the longing within her. Will she refuse Philip in favor of the stable life she's committed to, or risk her farm, her livelihood, and all those who depend on her to be with the man she truly loves?