Betrayed by her husband and falsely accused of theft, Elise Sloane has nowhere left to turn. At her lowest point, Harold Cole appears. He has loved her quietly for ten years, and now he offers her shelter in the form of a contract marriage. Elise refuses to let that define her. Starting from nothing as a counter salesgirl, she rides the electric tide of Creston City's special economic era, fighting her way up until she owns a garment factory of her own. She builds the business, earns the love, and becomes the woman she never once let herself imagine.