It is 1900 and Adeline Warburton and Arnold Haslington have fallen deeply in love. But though both are from wealthy families, their social status is too far apart for their families to approve of the match. And when Arnold marries another, Adeline's reaction is immediate and altogether unexpected, as she travels to make a new life in China. But although they are separated by thousands of miles, the consequences of their youthful passion continue to haunt them and their children Addy's daughter Nala and Arnold's son, Philip. As the years pass, and the children grow, violent forces are set to bring them together, unaware of the secrets from the past that bind them.