Captain Tom Strong has married a woman he does not love. Horatia, his cousin by adoption, is now a powerful entrepreneur through her inheritance of a vast family fortune. But his respect for her is eclipsed by his enduring desire for Blanche, Horatia"s half-sister. The Strongs" business empire, founded in Barbados, has been built on the sugar trade. But Brunel"s Britain is marching towards an imperial, industrial age and the city"s traditional sugar custom is dissolving. Will their business empire survive the mechanical revolution, or will the family find themselves struggling to survive? Will Tom be able to choose between the old life he loves and the new one that promises danger and passion in equal measure?