1868. Elspeth Thompson is the middle daughter in a family with tightly held secrets. While she loves her family, she longs to break out from their overprotective hold, to find herself, to be noticed for who she is rather than as chaperone to her beautiful younger sister, Kirsty, or underling to her elder sister, Muireall. A chance meeting under scandalous circumstances offers her the opportunity to be seen for herself, but the repercussions could lead to the downfall of her family.

Southern lawyer and Civil War veteran, Reed Jackson, returns to his family's plantation in a wheelchair. His father deems him unfit, and deeds the Jackson holdings, including his intended bride, to a younger brother. Angry and bitter, Reed moves west to Fenton, Missouri, home to a cousin with a successful business, intending to start over. Belle Richards, a dirt poor farm girl aching to learn how to read, cleans, cooks, and holds together her family's meager property.

1842. Eleanor McManus, upright daughter of a minister, is rescued from kidnappers by a rough-and-tumble fur trader Beauregard Gentry in the wilderness of northern Virginia. With Beauregard’s help, Eleanor makes her way back to her intended groom, who declares her soiled, and she finds herself alone, pressured to make life decisions without benefit of family or others she can trust.

1887. Debutante Julia Crawford endures a lifetime of subtle ridicule as the plump, silly daughter of a premiere Boston family. Julia strikes out on her own to gain independence, traveling to the Midwest to marry an aging shopkeeper and care for his mother. Julia finds her new home rough and uncivilized after the sophistication of a big city, while closely held secrets threaten to ruin Julia's one chance at love.

Lord Octavius Pryor leads a carefree and untroubled life, until the night he visits Vauxhall Gardens in the guise of a woman. At Vauxhall, Octavius discovers that being a female is very different from being a man. Annoyingly different, unpleasantly different, and - when he encounters the lecherous Baron Rumpole - dangerously different. Determined to teach the baron a lesson, Octavius infiltrates Rumpole's household, where he meets the woman of his dreams: Miss Toogood, governess to the baron's daughters.

Straight-laced Rose loves books, swimming, and the folk choir. So when her gregarious best friend arrives home from a 10-year around-the-world trip, her safe, comfortable existence is thrown into disarray. Rose is persuaded to take on the role of matron of honor, but not for a traditional church wedding: The ceremony is to take to take place on a Mediterranean beach. She is promised sun, sea, sand, and a rousing good time. But how will she cope with her fear of flying, mosquitoes, men, and everything else that takes her out of her comfort zone?

The first time single father Spence Kimball set eyes on Natasha Stanislaski, he was floored by her exotic beauty. But the former ballet dancer turned toy shop owner had a fiery temperament that kept men safely at bay. Sensing a hidden wound, Spence and his little girl joined forces to find a way into her closely guarded heart. For Spence realized he'd do anything to tame Natasha's fears...and show her how to love.

My brother is an idiot - he’s getting married. And I’m in charge of getting things together since our folks are gone. Lucky me. The guy who thinks love is for the birds and worn-out '80s songs. I honestly don’t have time for this drama. I run a billion-dollar company, have women to entertain, and am working on my plans to rule the world. No, seriously.

In 1958, 19-year-old Kat Caswell loses her best friend in a brutal accident. In an attempt to flee from her past, she hops a freight train, leaving rural Indiana behind. Kat soon discovers that the extreme danger of train jumping is a welcome distraction from her pain.

As war looms in Europe, 18-year-old Jane Shaw runs the household as an unpaid servant on a meagre budget. When tragedy strikes and she loses her beloved younger brother in suspicious circumstances, Jane takes a position in service looking after Ned, a troubled young boy. Here she meets dashing David Heron, Ned's Uncle and they form an immediate attachment until she is dismissed after being accused of stealing a piece of jewellery. Returning home, Jane and her sister, Melia, are soon orphaned and left at the mercy of their Aunt Alice.