I never was fond of romances in which the hero kidnaps the heroine, who inexplicably manages to fall in love with her captor. Once in Florida he encounters the fey Viola Mae Smith, who grows herbs, loves animals and hates anything to do with the railroad, which she sees as the enemy of nature. Viola has been on her own ever since her grandmother, who raised her from an infant, died two years earlier. While Seth is attracted to her spirit and beauty, he has no time for romance and no money with which to support a wife. Seth tries his best to get the job done, but the railroad construction is stalled by a series of pranks.
Someone puts poison in the men's blackberry preserves and poison ivy in the outhouses.
A mysterious fire burns down railroad ties and almost destroys the forest. He decides to warn Viola Mae that she could be in danger, because the culprit may be a ruffian who already has a grudge against her. Viola Mae is torn between her interest in Seth and her hatred of his job. She sees him approaching, panics, and knocks him unconscious with her hatchet. She then decides she might as well kidnap him and hold him for ransom until his boss agrees to stop construction of the railroad.