Jessica Bullen, born and raised in the poorer part of Bombay, refuses to accept the slur of being 'the daughter of the illegitimate son of a half-caste', and approaches the aristocratic side of the Bullen family for help She forges a link with her cousins, Pat and Dominic, which will lead to the greatest love and the greatest sorrow of her life She is torn between husband and lover, and obscurity and fame, while the campaign for Home Rule brings bloodshed to the country