Scott weaves a spellbinging tale based loosely on the true story of one woman's incredible odyssey from a prosperous Maryland farm to that devastation of revolution-era Paris and back again. When her father forbids her from marrying a charming French emigre, Cassandra Owings elopes with Benedict van Pradelles and sails for France. Her head is filled with romantic notions, so she is shocked by the privations she encounters in war-torn France. Since Cassandra's husband hails from an aristocratic family with ties to King Louis and Marie Antoinette, they are in constant fear for their safety. Joining forces with a young Jean Lafitte to smuggle other aristos out of the country, they must eventually flee themselves. Settling in Spanish New Orleans, Cassandra and Benedict build a prosperous life for themselves until their idyllic existence is shattered by the reappearance of Lafitte. Cassandra must choose between the devoted husband she loves and the dashing pirate she desires