Lord James Gresham, the fifth son of the Duke of Langford, is at a loss over what to do next. He's made his fortune as a captain in the Royal Navy. Perhaps now he should find a proper wife and set up his nursery, but the sea calls to him. His search for a wife leaves him uninspired, until a beauty with a heart for revenge sweeps into his life.

Half-English, half-Polynesian, Kawena Benson is out to avenge her father and reclaim a cache of stolen jewels. Her chief suspect is Lord James, as she points out with a pistol. There's nothing for James to do but protest his innocence and help Kawena search for the treasure, even though it turns his world upside down.