Lord Jonathan Trenholme is accustomed to wealth, power, and privilege. When he is exiled to Virginia in 1753, due to a royal scandal, he views the colony as being one step from barbarity and his banishment a punishment worse than death. Feisty tobacco farmer Callie Hastings does nothing to disabuse him of the belief when he has the fortune--or misfortune--of crossing paths with her. When she is forced to stand trial in Williamsburg for a crime she did not commit, she ably defends herself, and the case against her is dismissed. But Callie does not go quietly. She delivers a stinging indictment of English justice, angering the Court and ending up in Trenholme's custody--much to both their dismay--until she can tender a proper apology to the justices. Later, she manages to create an uproar among the men in the town when she takes it upon herself to inform women of the few rights that they may not be aware they have. Inundated with complaints, the Royal Governor convenes the General Assembly to figure out what to do about her. She is not doing anything illegal. What they decide will not sit well with Trenholme or Callie.