Misinformation, missed communications, and trust issues are the catalysts that end Vienna's and Rainey's young love. She flees to Scotland believing he has found someone new. He returns home and is broken heartened to find that Vienna is not waiting for him. Her whereabouts are never revealed to him or anyone else as her family is honor-bound to keep her location secret. They believe that her emotional state is in jeopardy.
Vienna enters into a loveless marriage with Lord McAllister and becomes Mistress of Avanloch Castle. She is captivated by the castle's eccentricities and mysteries and is a channel for departed souls. She suffers through many bouts of nostalgia. Twenty years pass and her love for Rainey never diminishes.
Rainey realizes his dream of becoming an architect and owns a thriving business. His marriage and love life is a failure as Vienna's memory haunts him constantly. He never gives up hope that they will be reunited one day.