Madeline Brewster is a lonely spinster. A lonely rich spinster who could also lay claim to the Title of virgin. When Madeline runs across a man about to be hung by the incompetent sheriff and the drunk judge, she convinces the town to put the man into to her custody until they can further investigate his claims of innocence. Now Madeline has a man. With some soap and water, and a bit of persuasion, she knows he can be the one to teach her. She is a willing and eager pupil. Soon, she'll be a virgin no more. Teague O'Neal thinks Madeline is crazy, but he agrees to her plan to save his own neck. And so begins the education of Madeline. What Madeline doesn't know is that the judge and the sheriff are setting her up to fall. Hard. While Teague teaches Madeline the physical pleasures of sex, they both discover they have a lot to learn about love and lovemaking. Oblivious to the world's scrutiny, Madeline is systematically destroyed by her enemies. When she discovers that Teague was hired to distract her so her ruin could be complete, she is heartbroken. She finds strength and courage she never knew she had to confront the men who hate her, the man who holds her heart yet betrayed her, and the town that never knew her.