Suspected of killing her husband, Charity Westcott flees on the first ship out of Portsmouth, England, heading for the colonies. Loathing all men after her abusive marriage, she hopes to reunite with her family in Charles Towne but she ends up in Nassau. When she spots her husband's brother, who is intent on seeing her hang, boarding her ship, she jumps overboard. Pirate turned preacher, Elias Dutton, must get to Barbados as soon as possible. His sister is in danger and his parents have charged him with her safety. He cannot let them down again. But after rescuing a madcap woman from the bay, he now finds himself tricked into masquerading as her husband so they can procure passage to Barbados. Pirates, storms, shipwreck and betrayal threaten to delay the couple in their journey even as sparks fly between them.