1958 Celestria, the charismatic daughter of an aristocratic family, lives in Pendrift Hall, a pale stone mansion with gardens that tumble down to the Cornish sea.

It is summer and the weeks ahead hold the promise of self-discovery and the thrilling possibility of elicit love affairs. Yet tragedy erupts in paradise when one of the family vanishes. A mysterious note is left behind with the words: 'Forgive Me'. Soon Celestria is pulled along a trail of deception, masquerades and mirrors. It will lead her from her idyllic life on the English coast to the orange groves of Southern Italy. It will also lead her to love . . .