Richard, Lord Ramsay, has been brought up from the cradle with a consciousness of his duty to his family and his name. His sense of responsibility has led him to install two elderly aunts in the Dower House; educate his cousin Peter Ramsay and employ him as a steward; and provide a home for poor relation Jane Hawthorne, who once served as his mother's companion. When a letter arrives from America informing him that the death of a relative has left 18-year-old Susannah Ramsay not only an orphan, but heiress to a Kentucky plantation as well, making an offer of marriage to his American cousin seems to be a practical solution: Besides providing for the young woman, such a match would give the Ramsays extensive holdings on two continents.

Then Susannah arrives from America, and Richard suddenly finds his well-ordered life set end over end. With her wild red hair, unfashionable clothes, and frontier ways, Susannah appears to be an unlikely Lady Ramsay. Appalled at the prospect of marriage to the girl, yet determined to fulfill his obligation, Richard turns her over to Jane and Peter for education in the ways of British society. But her transformation into a lady is the least of the surprises Susannah has in store for the strait-laced Ramsay clan....