British Cochin, 1934.

Returning to her home among the palm trees that line the coast of Cochin, South India, after six years at school in England, Clara Saunders is thrilled to learn that the future mapped out for her by her trader father is the one she would have chosen herself.

It’s a future that will unite her with her childhood sweetheart, George Goddard, the son of a neighbouring trader. It will also cement her friendship with George’s vivacious sister, Lizzie, and bring even closer together the two successful trading companies.

Trader Lewis Mackenzie, an employee of Clara’s father, is both ruthless and ambitious. Keen on seeing an expansion of Saunders & Co, and frustrated by the complacency shown by Henry Saunders, he determines to take matters into his own hands.

One simple misunderstanding gives rise to further misunderstandings, and in the face of potential disaster, the happiness of several people hangs in the balance.