A multilayered love story set in the 18th century upper-class families of England and France. Married to a man 27 years her senior, Barbara is propelled into a glittering, cynical society of casual adulteries and violent politics.

An ambitious young woman, Alice Verney risks everything for pride and status as she deals with the political intrigues, private passions, shifting alliances, and social machinations of the Restoration court of King Charles II.