She is a grief-stricken princess who never laughs. He is a bumbling butcher with a heart of gold. When their worlds collide, can they find hope in each other?

Grief can build a prison, and Astryn is the warden of her own dungeon. It has been sixteen years since her mother's death at the brutal hands of the plague that ravaged Carthage, and the princess has refused to laugh a single time since. When her father, King Erewin, announces that she must wed a man of his choosing for the sake of the kingdom, she is thrown into a spiral of doubt and melancholy that threatens to swallow her whole.

Women don't exactly flock to Hans' doorstep, except for the goose that loves to torment him, but when is there time for love, anyway? With a crotchety father and two buffoons for brothers, Hans works his fingers to the bone, keeping the people of Carthage fed while avoiding their angry fists. His only respite is his daily deliveries to the village church. But Hans' luck is about to change when a disobedient goose causes a bit of mischief. When it comes to arranging chance encounters, the goose is golden.

When Hans accidentally shoves the Princess of Carthage into a slop of mud running from the flustered goose, a friendship blossoms between them. Day after day, they grow closer until Astryn is convinced she might only survive marriage with one man, her newfound best friend. When the day finally arrives for the Harvest Ball announcement, the princess is taken captive. Can Hans, the goose, and an angry village save their future queen?