When the Duke dies suddenly, his greedy brother Richard steals the title and fortune. Overnight, Cordelia—the Duke’s only daughter—is stripped of her nobility and secretly blinded in a vicious plot. To protect her commoner lover, Luke, she brutally breaks his heart and drives him away. Believing she abandoned him for status, Luke leaves for the frontier, fueled by hatred. Years later, Luke returns as Luciano Thorne, the Empire's most powerful war hero and new Duke. Meanwhile, Cordelia is trapped at home, desperately guarding what's left of her inheritance. When her uncle forces the blind Cordelia to marry a 70-year-old merchant, Luciano arrives with an immense dowry to claim her himself. Luciano intends to punish her for the "betrayal." But seeing her scars and suffering, his hatred turns back into obsession. As they get caught up in revenge and irresistible attraction, the truth finally comes to light. Ultimately, the feared war god bows only to her, restoring her sight and placing the ducal crown back on the woman he has always worshiped.