Lady Jessaline Nolan has lived a horrible life at the hands of her father, the Lord of the House of Nolan.  Jessaline lives like a prisoner in her home, and is beaten or whipped at any display of defiance.  In a final display of his control of Jessaline, Lord Nolan has arranged her marriage to the bastard son of a Catholic Bishop.  However much Jessaline may want to leave her father's home, her betrothed is not a better option.  He has shown himself to be equally as cruel as Lord Nolan and he will be able to hurt her in more ways than beating.