Elizabeth Kingsley fled to Hong Kong with her much-older husband as the war clouds gathered over Europe, leaving behind her burgeoning career as a concert pianist. Thrown in to the sophisticated expatriate world, Elizabeth finds herself inexplicably drawn to one Raefe Elliot, a part-Chinese American, notorious for his womanizing ways, and the only man who has ever truly understood Elizabeth and appreciated her musical talents. As the Japanese prepare to invade Hong Kong, Elizabeth's love for Raefe overwhelms her and their affair becomes the talk of the expatriate community. As the old world is about to be destroyed for ever, Elizabeth has at last found happiness - in her love and her progression as a musician. But then her peace is threatened when she and Raefe become fugitives in a war-torn world...