When the orphaned Liam Brock first set foot in Philadelphia, he was brimming with aspirations. Now, seven years later, he faces a startling sensation of loss as his constant companions, David and Elisabeth, start a family of their own and begin a life apart. Aimless for the first time in his life, Liam forgoes opportunities to pursue his passion for law and continues dallying with a variety of Philadelphia's young women, including the insatiable and soulless Victoria Billings, for whom he is merely a plaything. His poor Scottish roots and questionable parentage, always a sore spot, suddenly impede any possibility of a profession--at least in his own mind. Then Elisabeth's childhood friend, the fiery and independent Rhiannon Ross, comes to town, seeking reprieve from a misguided marriage. Though yet another reminder of his limitations, she grabs Liam's interest from the outset, compelling him to open his heart once more to life's possibilities.