In late nineteenth-century Devon, Hester Redding longs to experience the excitement and new ideas that the approaching century brings but family responsibilities tie her to an arranged marriage and a quiet life in the countryside. A talented artist, Hester is driven by her determination to free herself from the constraints of family duty. When new people enter her life unexpectedly, her ambitions suddenly seem possible. Then a family secret threatens to destroy Hester's happiness. Will it tear her from the one person who offers her the love she longs for? Will it ruin her chances of escape forever?