Now in her late forties, Harriet is so staggeringly rich and powerful that she fears no one. Along with her sister, she settles down to enjoy her freedom and to live the eccentric life she has always desired, estranged from her disapproving family. An unexpected visit from a family member brings the neglected, timid Philippa into her life and Harriet makes an impulsive decision which turns both her world and Philippa's upside down. Meanwhile Caroline, who is enjoying a normal life as the eldest daughter of a wealthy duke, discovers by chance that she has an aunt who no one will talk about. At all. Thwarted in her attempts to discover more about her intriguing relative, Caroline takes a daring step to solve the mystery, unwittingly setting in motion a chain of events that will irrevocably change not only her life, but the lives of those around her.