Jaipur, 1934

When Philip Grainger and Frank Fletcher met late at night on an indigo plantation in Gujarat back in 1916, and one of them handed a new born baby to the other and walked away, their stated intention was never to see each other again.

In Jaipur, 1934, eighteen years later, Philip’s daughter, Eleanor, is excited to learn that a new family has moved into their street, and there’s a daughter similar in age to herself.

When Frank Fletcher, having struggled for years to make a profit from his isolated indigo plantation, turns to exporting, he is encouraged by his exporter friend, Maxwell Anderson, to move his family to Jaipur. His daughter, Alice, hopes that at last she will make some friends.

But where there are secrets, someone invariably senses a secret, is determined to uncover it and use it to his advantage. Nothing stays hidden for ever …