Melody, who only recently turned twenty-eight, is the last of the American Farr's; and because of a quirk in her father's will, she is unable to inherit the family's American estate until her thirtieth birthday.

Her English cousin, Sir Arthur Roland Farr, viscount of Gibbons, is her closest Farr male relative and, by provision of her father's wishes, her guardian until she inherits. Lord Arthur agrees to take in his American cousin and ward, but wants her to live at Farr Cottage, the ancestral home of the Farr family since Anglo-Saxon times.

Trained as a historian, Melody is directed by her guardian to work on the family history, and through it, Melody begins to learn the family secrets. Another man, Lord Alfred Oswin befriends Melody; and both men, Lord Alfred and Lord Arthur, are in competition for her attention.