Fitzwilliam Darcy is desperate. Finally confronted with a woman who ignites all his hopes, he agonizes over the cruel trick of fate which placed her in a situation beneath his notice. The morning after the Netherfield ball, he resolves to put as much distance between himself and her as possible.

That very morning, however, Elizabeth's future is jeopardized by her father's untimely accident. With Mr. Bennet unconscious and surrounded by concerned neighbors, Mr. Collins presses his suit. Elizabeth's mother frantically demands her acceptance to secure the family's welfare. With so many witnesses to his proposal and everyone expecting her to make a practical choice, Elizabeth's reputation hangs in the balance.

Without her father to defend her refusal of Mr. Collins, there is no one to speak up for her...except the last man in the world she would ever marry.