It is the year 2005 in New Orleans. Marguerite (Maggie) is a college student. She attends Tulane University as a law student and studies with a group of her rich, snooty friends. Her father is the senator of Louisiana, and her mother is a Cajun woman who commits suicide to escape the life of wife of a senator.

Wren is twenty-years-old and lives at a place called the Sanctuary. It is a bar on the outside, but on the inside it is a safe haven for Were-Hunters that have no place else to go. Wren is a Katagarian, which means he has the heart of an animal, and his natural form is that of an animal. He has lived at the Sanctuary for twenty years. His parents died violent deaths when he was very little.

The story continues as Maggie's closest friend, Nick, is missing after his mother is murdered. The police think Nick had something to do with the murder of his mother, but Maggie knows he could never do such a thing. Maggie tries to escape the pain of losing Nick by being with her study friends. They decide one day to visit the Sanctuary. Nick used to frequent it, and they wanted to honor him. This is where Maggie meets Wren.

Wren is taken by Maggie and stares at her. This angers her college friends, who start a fight with Wren. They end up getting thrown out of the bar. Maggie stays behind to apologize to Wren. After her apology, she tries to catch a cab and ends up being attacked by some thugs outside the bar. Wren rescues her, and their attraction starts a snowball effect. They cannot seem to see enough of each other. Wren hasn't told Maggie that he's half human, half tiger and knows this match will never last.

None-the-less, they fall madly in love with one another. Wren is 52% owner of Tigarian Technologies, and his Uncle and cousin try to have him framed to take his money. His Uncle would be heir in Wren's demise. They devise a scheme with the head of Sanctuary, Nicolette, where Wren resides and have the Were-Hunters come after him. The Omegrion, which is the council for deciding the fate of a Were-Hunter, is called upon to make a decision on Wren's future. The heads of all the species come together and hear Nicolette and Zack, Wren's cousin. They then decide to have Wren hunted and killed based on their stories.

Some of the heads of the species do not believe the story. The hunters are released and find Wren. They hurt him badly, and he runs to the only person he can trust, Maggie. As he lay wounded on her kitchen floor, he passes out and becomes his animal self. Maggie now realizes what he is. She vows to maintain her love for him and take care of him. They flee together, gain the help of the heads of the species that believe in Wren and with the help of Wren's father, who he learns is actually alive, Wren is freed from his charges.

Maggie and Wren are scoffed by Maggie's father at first, but they get married without his blessing and in the end he comes through for Maggie. The ceremony is a success, and they have a new home and a bright future. The most precious thing given to them at their wedding is the mating symbol on both of their palms by Savitar, the mediator of the Omegrion (a kind of Senate for the Were-Animals). The mating symbol means that they can now be mated and have children together, which they hope to have many.