1918. At a tragically early age, Aster Fairling is orphaned, losing both of her parents before the age of five. Her father Jack is reported missing presumed killed from the trenches of Flanders. Soon after, her mother Violet, dashing up to London on receiving an urgent telegram, is killed in a tragic accident. 1936. Brought up quietly in Cornwall by her grandparents, the only thing Aster has to remember her mother by is her Flower Book, a journal of pressed flowers that charts Violet's life and dreams - and keeps all her secrets. On her 21st birthday, Aster receives devastating news that turns everything she believes about herself upside down. As she becomes closer to Harry, the local landlord's son, she realises he is the only person who will stand by her. Her grandparents remain steadfastly secretative about her parents' past, and Harry's father, the brooding and enigmatic Weston Penruth, looks set to ruin her chance of happiness. Will Aster finally discover what really happened to Violet and Jack? Will the Flower Book reveal the truth at last?