It is winter, 1901. The ancient facade of Cresswell Manor surveys a vast and rich estate - but the land has fallen into decay. Mortimer Cresswell is an old man now, and at his deathbed his family waits, patiently, to scrap over his fortune. Only Hannah, Mortimer's daughter, can see that the family has become consumed by private ambition, jealousy and greed. When Stanislas von Ehrlich, a self-made man of fortune, moves into the neighbourhood, the natural order of things changes, sparking a massive feud. And then von Ehrlich's headstrong, spoilt and beautiful daughter Esmeralda is drawn to a member of the Cresswell household, with the most far-reaching consequences. Before long, both families are set on a collision course so powerful it will completely alter their world.