Lord Isaac Birks, Earl of Beverley, is betrothed to Lady Miriam Stanhope, his true love. But when tragedy strikes Lord Beverley and he is seriously injured, his life changes in an instant. Now a depressed, angry, and bitter man, he looks to Lady Miriam for comfort and support, but finds none. When she looks for comfort outside of Lord Beverley's arms, a caretaker, Helen, is hired to help care for the Earl.

But the Earl wants no one near him and goes on to destroy everything good that remains in his life. When Helen is shocked to discover she is falling for the Earl, he senses it as well, berating and belittling her so she will leave. But Helen resolves to stay until the Earl is able to care for himself again, enduring the vicious attacks with more frequency from him, although the Earl starts to feel his walls crumbling the more he is around Helen.

But when Lady Miriam reappears, professing her love for Lord Beverley and making plans for their wedding, a broken-hearted Helen is again brushed aside by the Earl, and he requests that she leave the estate for good.

But Lord Beverley soon discovers a shocking secret, and his world is once again turned upside down. This time, Helen is long gone and is not able to make his world right again, and Lord Beverley must make a difficult choice, love or loyalty.