Marie Jubert, a widow in the remote French Fortress of Louisbourg, is horrified to see the schooner Donna Rae put into port. The schooner, in which Marie is a secret investor, has been seized for smuggling, putting Marie's business ventures and her ability to support her two children at risk. On board the ship is Matthew Cartier, an English Protestant, who is taken to the Fortress Louisbourg as a prisoner. Marie gets close to Matthew, hoping to discover whether or not he knows her secret and will turn her in. In the process, the two are drawn to one another and Marie is torn when her feelings for this stranger conflict with her desire to keep her children out of jeopardy.