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? The world is moving on and the Strongs must move with it - or perish. Tom, Horatia and Blanche are linked by a powerful emotional triangle that will see all three torn between past and present. Although each attempts to put aside old feelings, some faces cannot be forgotten and some memories are too potent to fade. Tom must choose between the old life he loves and the new one that promises danger and passion in equal measure.