Set against the backdrop of the Second World War, this is the heartbreaking story of a young girl in love, the secret she must never reveal and the family who betrayed her trust.
It’s 1942 and the world is at war. Yet the wealthy Belleville family appear untouched and secure in their grand Australian home Prior Park. That is until daughter Julia, on the cusp of womanhood, falls desperately in love with an American Army officer against her family’s wishes. For Julia, it is life-changing.
Half a world away, her brother Richard is fighting for Britain, flying dangerous missions across the Channel knowing the next mission could be his last. He meets the beautiful Catherine Cavendish whose aristocratic parents disapprove strongly of the brash young Australian officer. Is he destined to find happiness with Catherine or will he be haunted forever by the memory of Jane, the woman he left behind?
Brought up in Richard’s shadow, William Belleville resents the popularity of his older brother. In Richard’s absence, William attempts to usurp his older brother’s authority and take charge of the family fortune.
Into this mix comes James Fitzroy, handsome and charming, who sets his sights on Julia. But can she ever really love him?
And what of the matriarch Elizabeth Belleville, whose preference for her elder son is well known, but who must endure the fecklessness of her husband, Francis, and the disappointment of a failing marriage.