Brent Hammond is a gambler who is handsome as sin, distrustful as only a betrayed man can be, and wilder than an unbroken stallion.

Hammond meets the beautiful Byrony by chance in San Diego, and he can't help himself -- he's charmed by her beauty and grace. But when he sees her again in San Francisco, he learns that she is the coddled wife of a older rich man. Responding with distrust and cynicism, he treats her badly.

Byrony is innocent, honorable, and alone. She is caught in a web of deception that will kill her if she can't escape it. She also has fallen in love with Hammond, who seems to despise her one minute and tries to seduce her the next. But when her life is threatened, he is the only one to protect her.

Readers of the earlier Star Quartet volumes, Evening Star and Midnight Star, will recognize many of the characters in the sprawling and colorful romance.