Marianne, a surveyor working for her father's building company, finds herself working late at a job site. With no time to drive to the gym, she decides to take a walk in the woods. The winding trail isn't well marked, and Marianne loses her way. Darkness falls, and the woods are filled with a low keening like someone in pain. Marianne swears she is being chased. But whenever she turns around, she sees only the trees. She runs faster and faster until she stumbles over a root and falls at the feet of a man with rich brown skin and hair made of leaves. Linden is the leader of the sprites sworn to protect a sacred wood. They are in mourning for the trees that have already been slaughtered by the humans encroaching on their home, They intend to do whatever is necessary to stop the builder's progress. When the builder's daughter falls at his feet, Linden knows the other sprites will want him to kill her as a warning to those who dare enter their woods. But when he watches the beautiful the woman tremble as he ties her to the tree where he lives, he decides to use seduction rather than violence. Linden awakens a deep-seated passion that forces Marianne to search inside herself and find the courage to protest her father's plans for the woods. But can one human woman save a forest while fighting for the heart of its leader?