Victoria Shelford has always been her father's favourite so when she runs away to sea in the name of love and her parents disown her, she feels the pain of his rejection keenly. Nevertheless, Victoria refuses to let her sorrows dampen her wandering spirit and she sets off to exotic Kashmir to find a new life. Here, she encounters the unpopular and grim-faced Andrew Wyndham, whose misspent youth has left him with empty pockets as well as a closely guarded secret. Victoria is intrigued by Wyndham but the complications that beset his life mean that it is hard to get close to him. Can Victoria succeed where all others have failed?