Cerynise Kendall has been left destitute and in dire need following the death of her doting patron and protectress. A brilliant young artist tossed from her home with only the clothes on her back, Cerynise must now turn to a childhood companion for assistance--the dashing sea captain Beauregard Birmingham--and beg him to provide her with passage to the Carolinas. She seeks a new home and a new life across the waters, but all depends on the kindness of a charming adventurer who was once the object of her youthful infatuation