In the Morland Dynasty series, the majestic sweep of English history is richly and movingly portrayed through the fictional lives of the Morland family. It is 1803, and Lucy's lover Weston, and Mary's husband Haworth, are both sea-officers involved with the naval blockade. James' wife, Mary Ann, sees for herself the grim realities of life in the slums of plague-torn Manchester. And while Lucy enjoys the frivolities of Regency London, her neglected husband Chetwyn seeks comfort in a quarter which will bring him disgrace and ruin.