In 1942, Will Truesdale, an Englishman newly arrived in Hong Kong, falls headlong into a passionate relationship with Trudy Liang, a beautiful Eurasian socialite. But their love affair is soon threatened by the invasion of the Japanese, with terrible consequences for both of them, and for members of their fragile community who will betray each other in the darkest days of the war.

In the heat and busde of 1950s Hong Kong, newlywed Claire Pendleton is changing from an uptight English wallflower to a beautiful, graceful bloom. Then she meets Will, driver to wealthy Chinese couple the Chens, when she takes the job of piano teacher to their daughter.His enigmatic presence enthrals and excites her.A decade earlier, with war looming, Eurasian beauty Trudy Liang casts her own spell of fascination. A social butterfly, she is a thing of mystery- and intrigue. She knows everyone worth knowing in Hong Kong - Chinese and foreign, good and bad, rich and poor. Including a newly arrived young Englishman - the magnetic WiU Truesdale...