This work was set in England, 1663. Angelica Saunders has always felt shut out by her fortunate cousins, Hal and Claire. But Hal's destiny will not turn out as golden as it seems - for the sins of his father will return to haunt him. Harry Mortimer had two boys: Hal, by the gentle Mercy Harris, and Jared, his dark son, by the gypsy Rowena, now a bitter woman who has raised Jared to hate his brother with a desperate vengeance. When Claire rejects Hal's proposal, Angelica hopes her chance may have come to win Hal's heart. But instead, a shocked and angry Hal turns to a brief liaison with the lovely gypsy Serena - a decision that will lead to a final, tragic conflict with his half-brother. Will the seeds of Harry Mortimer's mistakes destroy the two families so united in all that they have suffered during the war and its aftermath - or will Angelica find her happiness at last?