Fate has lavished beauty on the Merridew sisters - that is, all save the eldest. But plain Prudence bears no grudge; she loves her four beautiful sisters infinitely. So when their abusive grandfather is injured, she concocts an ingenious plan to escape the clutches of their legal guardian. Rakish aristocrat Gideon has a way of making ladies swoon. But he's bored, and when Prudence arrives on his doorstep claiming she and the Duke are engaged, Gideon is so taken with the delightful spitfire that he hijacks her game, stealing a kiss or two along the way.