Why does a poor maid, whose days are numbered, beg Jared, Viscount Ravenswood, to take her little daughter to Calanthe, the Dowager Duchess of Clairborne? Why is she so sure that the eccentric aristocrat will take care of the girl? Jared is tormented by vague doubts. And these doubts intensify when meeting the duchess - a beauty whose life is full of secrets and mysteries. It is impossible not to fall in love with Kalanta. It is difficult to resist her charms. But trusting her is very, very dangerous...