A little boy’s treasure puts Addie McRae’s life in grave danger.

When Addie left her sheltered Mississippi life to become governess to Ceddy Whitfield, she never dreamed she’d be undertaking her most challenging role yet. But after a brutal attack on her peculiar charge and a break-in that threatens the serenity of Whitfield Manor, Addie’s coveted new life is set on a dangerous course. What could a little boy have that thieves are so eager to find?

Pearson Foster arrives on the misty banks of Lake Caddo determined to haul up the wreckage of the doomed steamer Mittie Stephens along with her cargo of gold, unaware that young Ceddy hides a valuable treasure of his own. Then, accused of a terrible act of cruelty against the boy, Pearson stands to lose something even more precious than hidden fortune. But would he harm a child and the woman he grows to love in his quest for mere riches?