Katrina is the illegitimate daughter of a count and one of his maids, and her life has always been hard. Since her mother died, her stepmother the countess and her stepsister have treated her worse than ever. When her stepsister misbehaves at a party, a royal order sends the girl to the far north to be taught proper conduct by the prince who lives there, a man said to be cruel. Unwilling to let her own daughter face that fate, the countess sends Katrina in her place. Katrina reaches the north trembling with fear, only to find that the supposedly heartless prince is far kinder than the rumors claimed. Set in a wintry fantasy kingdom, this short romance asks whether the gentle Katrina might find love far from home.