In 1816, Napoleon has been defeated but Britain faces inflation, unemployment, falling wages and hunger. Discharged soldiers return to a country unable to reward them, and protest spreads among communities burdened by high food prices. At Morland Place, Heloise and James try to defend the estate’s spirit and finances as post-war distress reaches even the privileged.
A fatal accident removes someone central to the family, while a public scandal exposes the Morland name to ridicule and judgment. Sophie and Rosamund must distinguish enduring love from attractive illusion, and grief forces the household to reckon with choices made during the war years. National victory therefore becomes a difficult peace in which economic and emotional debts still have to be paid.
