Apprentice chemist Dorrimin likes math, formulas, and helping run his family's household apothecary business in Eladia, the Windswept City. A mountain city of trains, turbines, and Guild politicking, Eladia can be loud and chaotic, which is why Dorrimin prefers his quiet laboratory. But his family think he needs to talk to people more, so he is working at the counter of their shop when Tommick Fortune walks in.

Charming Tommick is a regular visitor and Dorrimin can't help but wish that some of his charm was about courtship. But though Dorrimin's family are respected members of a Guild, Tommick's wealthy, powerful family will have more planned for him than a sweetheart from a middle-class level of the city. In addition, Dorrimin is... awkward.

But when the wind blows in a snowstorm, even a rich boy from the mountaintop needs safety and comfort, and perhaps, the sort of care his upper-class family can't provide. Fortunately, Dorrimin is there with his family, and his home, and his heart, if Tommick wants it.