England, 1810

 Sir Joshua Strickland, his wife and three daughters lead a quiet and comfortable life in their modest stately home in a rural county until James, the adoptive son of his late brother, returns from India, where he has lived since he was a child. He is welcomed into the family with open arms and Kitty, the youngest daughter, finds herself attracted to him.

But James has a dark secret so traumatic that he cannot even make himself recall it. As Lady Cecilia plans a ball Kitty’s curiosity sets her on the trail of the truth, a truth that will have dramatic and deadly consequences.