With the tumult of the Great War finally at an end, ambitious Samuel Cole returns from Europe determined to forge his own destiny as a wealthy entrepreneur. The lush lands of the Caribbean will provide the means to wealth, but they offer private bounty, as well - a bride.

Marguerite-Josefina Diaz is the toast of Havana, the convent-educated daughter of a wealthy cigar manufacturer. Beautiful and intelligent, M.J. dreams of distant lands and a liberated future for herself - and she believes charming, handsome Samuel will deliver both.

But neither of them anticipates the new realities of their life in West Palm Beach - the social injustices, the demands of a growing family and the secret passions that threaten the empire Samuel has vowed to build.