Coral Sinclair, a beautiful but naive young photographer, learns within days of calling off her wedding that she has also lost her father.

Leaving her life in England, she sails to Kenya to take up her inheritance - Mpingo, the plantation that was her childhood home.

On the voyage, Coral meets a charismatic stranger and their mystifying attraction shakes her to the core. Later she finds out his identity and is warned that the man is not to be trusted. Rafe de Monfort, owner of a nightclub and the neighbouring plantation, is not only a notorious womanizer but also his affair with Coral's stepmother may have contributed to her father's death. Or so the rumours go.

As Coral is swept up in the undeniable chemistry between her and Rafe, a tentative romance blossoms in the exotic, dangerous wilderness of Africa. But when Coral delves into Rafe's past, she questions his true motives. Is the infamous lothario just after her inheritance? Or does Rafe's secret anguish colour his every move, making him more vulnerable than Coral could ever imagine?