Left in the care of her vindictive stepmother after the death of her father, Hope is shocked to find out the debt he's left them in.

However, that's nothing compared to the horror she feels when she finds out how her stepmother intends to pay off that debt without losing any of her luxuries. With a little brother who has been deaf since birth, Hope has no choice but to go along with it to protect him.

Logan Wallace has travelled to Sacramento to purchase the cattle he needs to start his own herd, only to be greeted by a pickpocket shortly after he arrives. Chasing the thief, he's led into the slums of the town where he's shocked to see some kind of human auction happening.

When his eyes meet the terrified brown ones staring back at him from the wooden platform, he knows he can't walk away and leave her there to the fate of the men who are bidding.

Putting up the money he was supposed to use to purchase a prized mare for his sister Ella, he steps in to help. But when he wins the auction and tries to let the girl have her freedom, he's shocked to find out that her honor won't allow her to walk away until she's paid him back in full.

So now what is he supposed to do with her?