It is 1829, and handsome, well-off Henry Cavell, recently returned to England having served in the army in India, sets up home on the seafront in the newly fashionable town of Worthing. He is in possession of a large diamond, given to him in India, which he vows he will give to the woman he loves ? when he finds her, that is.
Jemima Brown, sixteen, good-hearted and hard-working, comes to work for him as a general maidservant. When Mr Cavell stands up for her against the unwanted attentions of some tradesmen working in his house, she sees at once that here is a man of high morals and integrity.
But it is Caroline Simpson, daughter of Henry's house-painter, who catches his eye. She may be socially his inferior, but she is good-looking, flirtatious and knows how to use her charms. She manipulates Henry into marrying her, and only the loyal Jemima knows he's been tricked.
How can Jemima fight her growing feelings for her master, maintain her morals and stay in Mr Cavell's employment, despite her mistress's increasingly erratic behaviour?
