When his beautiful young wife dies in childbirth, Captain Samuel Walton is grief-stricken. He had idolised Effie, despite her spoilt and headstrong ways, and he now faces the task of raising their two daughters alone. Fifteen years later, and the baby girl who brought such tragedy is the mirror image of her mother. But flaxen-haired Flora is also showing signs of Effie's tempestuous temperament. Sensible Josie worries her younger sister may be led astray. But even she could not predict how a chance meeting between Flora and a seductive stranger would plunge the whole family into danger...