Elizabeth Carne is torn apart by the conflicts of the English class system; local poverty; her love of Henry, a man from '"the lower order;' and her role as an heiress. As a woman without a college education, she struggles to gain credibility in her father's banks as she tries to maintain her family's long legacy of wealth and philanthropy. Amid lies, murder, smuggling, famine, and restrictive social norms, Elizabeth fights for her love of Henry, the local miners, and fishermen. Meanwhile, the failure of the mining industry looms over her like an ominous storm. Jill George's meticulously researched and gripping story uncovers the joys and sorrows of a brave and brilliant woman's mission to overcome the class system to create a more unified and prosperous region, country, and world.