Since her husband's death, Lady Sylvia Montgomery has struggled to keep the roof from literally tumbling onto her head. Her choices are severely limited. She can support the villagers in their smuggling operations, or she can return to her uncle's home and supervise his squalling children. The latter option is not appealing, so Sylvia decides to tackle the smuggling of brandy. She tries to intimidate her supplier without success, since a female master smuggler does not instill fear in her competitors. Sylvia needs a man to front the operation.

When Tony Sinclair's brother returned from the war, he relieved Tony of the estate management. Left adrift with no obvious goals, Tony decides to explore other options. He has no need of more money and lying around with the idle aristocrats isn't appealing. He decides that with his handsome and appealing looks he'll become a rake and seduce willing women and widows. Bored with London, Tony joins a friend and travels around the countryside. At their first stop, he spies a comely widow who challenges him in his new pursuit. Unfortunately, the villagers assume Tony is a revenuer and kidnap him.

The villagers take Tony to Sylvia, where misunderstandings are set right, and he agrees to pose as her husband. Tony enjoys the danger of dealing with the pirate smugglers. While he attempts to seduce Sylvia, she tries to guard her heart from him. Men always leave her, so she can't succumb to this charming man. Obstacles abound for Tony until he listens to his heart.

Ms. Karr infuses her Regency tale with eccentric characters -- smugglers, an old lecherous crone, a poor widow and the perfect hero to rescue them from the treacherous villains. Eventually, love conquers all, leaving readers with smiles on their faces.