When her dog is trapped in a merciless snare, a stranger comes to the rescue in the magical, green-leafed bower of Monk's Wood. As wonderous as their encounter, so too did they instantly fall in love. Whoever her handsome, strong and gentle stranger was, Salema was prepared to travel the world or live in a cave with him.

But fate was to test their newfound passion, when her father devises a plan for her to marry the elderly and cruel, but extremely rich Duke of Mountaired. To refuse, was to defy her father - yet loves honour demanded that Salema and the penniless stranger flee and marry.

How she discovers the true identity of her beloved stranger, how they foil a clever plot against the Duke, and how they finally escape the family ties of the past that would keep them apart, are all told in this exciting and beautiful story of true and forever love.