Alienated from her mercenary father, Madeline Hastings finds herself abducted and forced into a wedding chapel as a sacrificial stand-in bride. Her assigned spouse, wealthy heir Sebastian Lockwood, is widely rumored to be an incapacitated invalid trapped in a vegetative state, making Madeline's survival in his treacherous estate seem nearly impossible.
Expecting daily misery, Madeline is shocked when bizarre strokes of fortune eliminate every relative who tries to torment her. As she manages the sprawling household, she gradually pieces together that Sebastian is merely faking his illness to expose clan traitors, and his private protection hides an obsessive devotion that refuses to let her go.
