A family saga spanning seventy years and three continents - from 19th century colonial Australia to the Bloomsbury set in London, to tumultuous Hong Kong before WWII. Across three generations of women, the conflict between honour and duty repeats itself in the hearts of the men they love, with startling consequences. In Part One, May is brought to live with her relatives on their sprawling sheep station Gamboola in country NSW following her mother's death. Here she finds family, friendship and love - but not everyone in this society of wealth and privilege has good intentions. (1874-1891) In Part Two, Penelope travels to London to study art at the Slade School against the wishes of her family. Taken under the wing of the enigmatic drawing master Desmond Leigh, she mixes with the famed artists and minds of the day, as war looms on the horizon. (1908-1916) In Part Three, Cassandra has run away from Gamboola to work as a colonial nurse, trying desperately to escape the family tragedies which have marred her life. In Hong Kong, as the Japanese army draws ever closer, can she relinquish her hard-won freedom for love? (1935-1941)