Katrina is the illegitimate daughter of a count, raised as little more than a servant by her stepmother and stepsister after her mother's death. When her spoiled stepsister causes a major scandal in noble society, the punishment is severe banishment to the remote northern frontier, where she is to be placed under the supervision of a prince infamous for his cruelty and said to be cursed. Unwilling to let her own daughter suffer, Katrina's stepmother forces Katrina to take her half-sister's place as the sacrificial stand-in.

Expecting a life of even harsher mistreatment or death at the hands of a monster, Katrina arrives in the frozen north with nothing but resignation. To her surprise, the cursed prince is not the brutal tyrant of legend. He is quiet, emotionally distant, and isolated by his reputation, but he treats her with unexpected kindness and respect. Living in his cold, lonely castle, Katrina slowly sheds her fearful shell. She begins to manage the household, explore the harsh but beautiful northern lands, and discovers that the prince's curse might be more about the loneliness and suspicion forced upon him by others than any magical affliction. As she shows him genuine care without fear, the prince in turn finds himself drawn to her resilient spirit and gentle nature, and a deep bond forms between the two outcasts who were both rejected by the society that should have protected them.