Millie turned angrily to Nicholas. “You entice innocent women to leave their homes and the beliefs of their fathers, to give up all that they have and go to some wretched place in the middle of nowhere—” Nicholas put his hand on her arm as if to stop her. “Miss Cooper, you do not understand.” He was grieved. “I understand! Far more than you realize.” What Millicent Cooper understands is that the Thatcher family, with whom she has lived since her mother’s death, has left the culture and refinement of Boston for the wild Missouri frontier. And it all is the result of Judith Thatcher’s introduction to the Mormon faith by four missionaries—missionaries like Nicholas Todd. Rather than live among a people with strange, alien beliefs, Millie has chosen to return to her hometown. There she encounters Elder Nicholas Todd, who treats her with a tenderness that she has never experienced before. But his commitment to a religion that has disrupted, even endangered, the life of Millie’s dearest friend, Verity Thatcher, only confuses and angers her. And then there is dark, brooding Luther Fenn, who returns from his voyage at sea seeking to claim the love of his youth. Millie is torn between her conflicting feelings for Nicholas and the promise of stability a life with Luther would provide. But after Nicholas departs for England, and suddenly his letters stop coming, Millie is forced to make a decision that will affect the rest of her life. The harsh realities and heroic resolve of the Saints in Far West and Nauvoo are seen through the eyes of a nonmember who is struggling to find peace in her own heart. Set against the moody backdrop of the New England coast, The Heart That Truly Loves is a captivating tale of romance, religion, and the clash of two cultures.