The Secret Mandarin is an unforgettable story of love, fortitude and recklessness - of a strong woman determined to make it in a man's world and a man who will stop at nothing to fulfil his desires.

London. 1842 Actress Marv Penney has brought disgrace on her respectable family.

Desperate to avoid scandal, Mary's brother-in law, the ambitious botanist Robert Fortune, forces her to accompany him on a mission to China to steal tea plants for the East India Company. But Robert conceals a secret - he is a spy for the British forces, newly victorious in the recent Opium War.

His task is dangerous - the British are still regarded as enemies by the Chinese and exporting tea bushes carries the death sentence. In these harsh conditions Mary grieves for her London life and the baby she has been forced to leave behind, while her fury at Robert intensifies.

As their quest becomes increasingly treacherous, Robert andMary disguise themselves as a mandarin and man-servant. Thousands of miles from home, Mary revels in her new freedom and the Chinese way of life - and when danger strikes, finds unexpected reserves of courage.

The Secret Mandarin is an unforgettable story of love, fortitude and recklessness - of a strong woman determined to make it in a man's world and a man who will stop at nothing to fulfil his desires.