Julia Silva is in Los Angeles to start a new job when she gets a call from her brother Theo Silva, who has just won his second WBRF championship, defeating his rival, Emmett. They tease each other, and Theo complains about Emmett being a sore loser. Julia finds it hard to despise Emmett as much as her brother does, recalling a past incident where he behaved with unexpected decency.

At her new job, Julia learns that she’s the location consultant for the reality show Romance Ranch, which is being filmed in Emerald Lake, where her family lives; she still has an apartment there. Her new boss, the abrasive executive producer Richard Wadsworth, introduces the show’s premise, in which 10 women will compete to win the heart of one man. Richard then shows her a photo of the man. Julia recognizes the face immediately: Emmett Bush, Theo’s rival. Julia is stunned to realize that their paths are about to cross in a professional capacity.

Emmett is anxiously awaiting the arrival of the show’s location consultant at Stal Brandt, but he’s shocked when he opens the door to find Julia Silva. He hasn’t seen her in the two years since a fateful incident on a cruise ship. Citing his intense rivalry with her brother Theo, Emmett initially tries to refuse to work with her.

Julia remains professional, insisting that her brother’s feud has nothing to do with her career. This is a dream job for her, and she tells him to get over it. Worried that she will tell Theo about the show and expose him to ridicule, Emmett confronts her. Julia assures him that she won’t tell anyone, reminding him that he kept her secret about the cruise-ship incident. In addition, she’s bound by a non-disclosure agreement. They agree to a tense but professional truce.

The narrative flashes back two years to a singles cruise where Emmett is vacationing with his high-school friends. That night at the bar, he sees Julia, who gives him a look of disdain. Later that evening, Emmett observes Julia with a group of men. He notices one man behaving suspiciously, watching her and fidgeting with something in his pocket.

Having spent a lifetime reading subtle body language—learned from watching his abusive father Carl Bush’s behavior to keep himself safe—Emmett senses that something is wrong. He sees Julia become disoriented and intervenes: He knees the man in the groin and then reaches into the man’s pocket and pulls out a small bag of pills, dumping them on the floor. As Julia loses consciousness, she begs Emmett to get her away from the scene. He scoops her up and carries her back to the safety of his room.

Julia awakens confused and panicked in an unfamiliar cruise-ship cabin with no memory of the previous night. She discovers that she’s in Emmett’s room and sees him sleeping on the balcony. Assuming the worst, she angrily confronts him, accusing him of taking advantage of her.

Emmett is offended and explains what really happened: A man drugged her, and he stepped in to protect her. He clarifies that he brought her to his room at her request, rinsed her off in the shower because she was sick, and slept outside to give her space. He even admits to undoing her tight hair bun out of concern. Stunned by his kindness, Julia is overwhelmed and ashamed. She offers a brief thank you and quickly flees his room.

In the present, Julia has a meeting at the farm with Emmett’s grandparents Tina and Leon, who are warm and welcoming. As Leon explains the history and mission of their sport-horse breeding farm, Stal Brandt, Julia mentions that her brother is Theo Silva. Tina praises Theo’s talent and tells Julia that Emmett is always raving about how talented he is.

Emmett is mortified by his grandmother’s comment and quickly changes the subject. As Julia leaves with him, he pulls her aside and warns her never to repeat what Tina said to Theo. Julia, amused by his discomfort, teases him about his secret admiration for his rival.

In the weeks leading up to filming, Julia is a constant presence on the farm, preparing the set. Emmett finds her dedication irritating but is also grudgingly impressed. One morning, he sees her struggling to unload heavy bags of soil from her car. Despite his resolve to keep his distance, he steps in to help her.

Later, he finds her attempting to assemble a swinging love seat for the show. She’s clearly having trouble with the instructions but refuses his offer of assistance. Seeing her frustration, Emmett begins to build it for her, unable to stop himself from helping her.

On the first night of filming for Romance Ranch, Julia stands with the crew, proud of her work transforming the farm’s old bunkhouse into the main set. Emmett’s younger sister, Riley, arrives to watch, ignoring Emmett’s request that she stay away. She notes that her brother looks uncharacteristically nervous.

As the 10 female contestants are introduced, Julia observes that they’re all beautiful and confident, including Evelyn, Jada, Akira, Madeline, Cookie, and Catherine, among others. Richard pulls one contestant, Evelyn, aside for a private word on set. When it’s her turn, Evelyn approaches Emmett with practiced confidence, grabs his bolo tie to pull him close, and whispers in his ear. Richard, watching from set, is ecstatic and declares that she will stay, recognizing her potential to create drama. In the aftermath of the bold interaction, Emmett’s gaze sweeps across the set and lands directly on Julia.

After the introductions, Richard drags Emmett into his trailer and berates him for his stiff, on-camera demeanor. He demands that Emmett act according to his reputation to create drama and sex appeal for the show, threatening to reduce the farm’s rental fee if he fails to perform. Emmett endures the tirade, reminding himself that the money is for his family.

Later, Julia approaches Emmett to discuss scouting off-site locations for dates. He confides that he’s only doing the show to save his family’s farm from bankruptcy. Julia advises him to commit fully to the process, either by giving the women a genuine chance or by faking it convincingly. For the show’s first off-site date, Emmett suggests a sentimental hiking spot from his childhood called Prickle Point. He offers to guide her there, but she insists on finding it herself.

A memo from story producer Teri Baker to Richard reports on the first day of filming. Teri notes that Emmett started stiff but seemed to warm up. She identifies Evelyn as a promising “villain” for the season, noting that her desire to be an actor could lead to manufactured drama. The memo concludes by confirming that the first payment has been successfully transferred to Emmett.

The next morning, Julia can’t find “Prickle Point” on any maps, and she reluctantly texts Emmett for directions. They engage in a series of flirtatious and teasing messages, during which he sends her a screenshot revealing that he has saved her contact as “Julia Theo’s Hot Little Sister” (81). He eventually sends her a map pin for a place named Mount Bouchard.

Julia drives to the trailhead, located near Emmett’s private cottage in the back corner of the farm. She finds him sitting on his porch wearing only his boxers. He once again offers to accompany her on the hike, but she politely declines and heads off alone. After reaching the summit and scouting the location, Julia trips on a root and tumbles down a steep hill covered in prickly pear cacti.

As Emmett steps out of his cottage to go to the set, he’s met by a disheveled Julia, who is limping and covered in dirt, scrapes, and cactus spines. Alarmed, he brings her to his cottage to get cleaned up before Richard can see her. Inside, Julia painstakingly removes the tiny thorns from her arms and hands, cursing colorfully, which Emmett finds amusing.

During their conversation, he accidentally lets slip that his “real” name is Brandt, not Bush. He immediately becomes guarded and tries to deflect her questions about his family history. Julia gently reminds him that after he took care of her on the cruise ship, they’re well past the point of keeping personal secrets from each other.

While tending to her scrapes, Julia winces in pain, unable to hide her discomfort. She confesses that she has cactus spines embedded in her buttocks, where she can’t reach them. Though mortified, she’s in too much pain to refuse his help.

After some lighthearted teasing, Emmett’s demeanor becomes serious and respectful. He asks for her permission to help, and she agrees. With flaming cheeks, Julia bends over the kitchen counter, bracing for the awkward procedure. Emmett gently removes the spines.