Black-haired Bess has little leisure to daydream about a better life. Her days are spent ladling out rabbit stew in her father's inn and fending off her admirers. No man can touch her well-guarded heart. A tap at her window in the dead of night changes all that.

Highwayman Jack Hall is feared the length and breadth of Georgian England. But even a highwayman has a heart — and his is captured by Bess' beauty and spirit.

Jack, handsome and charming, is unlike any other man Bess knows. She is powerless to resist him. But when a jealous rival for Bess' affections informs King George's soldiers about Jack, both the highwayman and Bess find themselves in mortal danger. With treachery on all sides, the pair must fight for their lives, and for their love.