A FATEFUL ENCOUNTER on a rainy night on the road to London brought Black Jack O'Donnell, an Irish rogue and brigand, into the life of the wilful and fiery Margret Hanford, a proud and titled young woman. The masked highwyman has a life-changing adventure when he runs afoul of her after stopping her fine carriage and abducting her for ransom, a rash decision of decidedly mixed consequences. She battled for her virtue and her life every step of the way. Black Jack came to regret his off-hand decision in some ways, but not in others as his captive proved to be equally captivating -- and he ended up with the scars to show for it. Jacks learns, the hard way, that thingsd on't always work out as expected when her father balks at the large ransom demand and the unexpected circumstances develop to frustrate his plans.