Hawk is a nobleman’s son in search of a giant to kill or a maiden to save. The trouble is, when he finds them, there are forty-some maidens—and they call their giant “the Angel.” Intrigued by conflicting rumours, Hawk ventures out to see if the strange man in the woods is angel or demon.

As a reward for his courage, he is swept into the heart of a patchwork family and all of its mysteries: the Giant, who guards the woods with vengeful power and tends his flock with infinite tenderness, the Pixie, whose only clue to her past is a piece of embroidery, Illyrica, whose scarred throat explains her silence and hints at a tragic history, and Nora—mistress of the Castle, of laundry, of the children, and increasingly of Hawk’s heart.

As the Giant trains him to protect and provide for the family, Hawk is transformed by the innocence and love of those around him—but the outside world cannot be kept at bay forever. The wealthy and influential Widow Brawnlyn suspects the Giant of hiding a great treasure. Driven by greed, she sets out to tear the family apart and bring the Giant to destruction any way she can. Appealing to Hawk’s pride and desire to be a hero, Widow Brawnlyn and her dangerously beautiful daughter Genevieve place him at a crossroads: caught between the terrible truths he discovers about the family’s past and the unalterable fact that he has come to love them, he must face his fears and overcome his flaws if he is to rescue the Angel in the woods.