Eliza Hargreaves has a guilty secret. She isn't what people believe her to be. When disaster strikes, she becomes an outcast in the desert town of Lone Gulch and is forced to seek employment at the Mockingbird Saloon. The estranged son of a fine Mexican family, Joaquin Pereira has been drifting through the West, tormented by his failure to protect a childhood friend. After winning the cantina in Lone Gulch on the turn of a card, he gives up the life of a gambler and settles down. Helping Eliza to overcome her fear of the unknown allows Joaquin to atone for his past--but it could ruin his future.